


Flowers & Ink

by JustAnotherMC



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-06-14 01:05:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 44,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherMC/pseuds/JustAnotherMC
Summary: V is a popular tattoo artist who specializes in water color tattoos. He works with his apprentice Yoosung and avoids the advances of women. Til the day a flower shop opens up next to his tattoo parlor. V begins to draw her flowers and notices how strange the owner is.  Both feel drawn to each other but can they overcome the pain of their past to find happiness?**DISCLAIMER** All Mystic Messenger characters belong to Chertiz





	1. Chapter 1

The sun shined in the window and spilled onto V’s face. He groaned and threw and extra pillow at the window. This only knocked down the blinds and V put his head under the last pillow. If there was one thing he disdained more than women it was mornings. He was at the shop until like three in the morning working on a cherry blossom piece. The girl had done nothing but flirt with him the entire time so by the end of it he was in a sour mood. Now that he was up it was pointless to try and sleep. So after getting dressed and grabbing his coffee, he headed to his shop. As he was unlocking the door to the shop he noticed that people were moving stuff into the shop next to his. It peaked his curiosity but he’d see it eventually so he just went about business as usual. He only had four appointments today but that’s usually how it was. V liked to get to know the person he was working so he could make sure they got the best tattoo. He went to the back and saw his apprentice struggling to make coffee. “Do you still not know how to use the coffee machine Yoosung?” The blonde boy put down the pot and threw his hands up.

“It’s not my fault you have such a stupid fancy coffee maker! Like I don’t even get why you have it cause you never use it.” V handed him thermos of coffee and Yoosung snatched it. “Why accept the gift if you’re not going to use it?” Yoosung drunk the coffee and sighed.

“I accepted it because it was the only way to get that woman to leave me alone.” Yoosung shrugged.

“Yeah she was persistent. I still don’t understand why you just didn’t go out with her.” V shot him a look and Yoosung dropped it.

“Anyway, did you sleep here last night?” Yoosung was still wearing his clothes from yesterday and he blushed a little.

“Yeah but only because that session lasted so long. I would of just had to come back here by the time I got home, so I slept in the back.” V rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Well go on and head home, and shower. The first appointment isn’t until noon so I don’t need you right now. And you know you don’t have to be here every morning before me right?” Yoosung nodded at him and smiled.

“Yeah but I like to cause I can get some practice in before you take over.” Yoosung was beaming with pride and it made V smile. Yoosung’s energy was sometimes annoying but he was hard working and that’s all that mattered to V.

“Whatever. Just go home and get cleaned up. This maybe a tattoo shop but we still have an imagine to maintain.” As Yoosung was leaving he saw Vanderwood coming in.

“Careful Vandy he’s a bit cranky.” Yoosung passed by Vanderwood and out the door before he could be asked anything. So Vanderwood walked in and treaded carefully. V had on his glasses and was nose deep in a notebook when Vanderwood found him.

“Why is Yoosung leaving? Are you not opening the shop today?” V barely looked up from his notebook.

“He slept here last night so I sent him home to get cleaned up. Why are you here?”

“Damn dude. You really are a sour puss today.” Vanderwood set a white paper bag on the table. “I brought you some breakfast. Maybe that will put you in a better mood.” V glared at him but sighed. He set down the notebook and took his glasses off. They clattered against his dog tag necklace as he grabbed the bag. “So what’s got you in a sour mood granny?”

“I told you not to call me that, and I’m not in a bad mood. I’m just tired.” V took the doughnut out of the bag and Vanderwood just shrugged.

“Could of fooled me. And if you don’t want to be called that then don’t wear a granny chain.” Vanderwood had known V since he opened the shop. Not only was Vanderwood the one who sold it to him but owned the car garage at the end of the block. So he knew when V was in a grumpy mood. “Let me guess. Someone flirted with you and all you did was get annoyed.” V shot him a look and Vanderwood felt a chill go down his spine. “That’s a yes. Excuse me for not giving you an sympathy. Most guys would love being such a chick magnet.” V tossed the rest of his doughnut in the trash and got up. Vanderwood sighed and decided to drop the subject.

“Don’t you have your own shop to open? I’ll walk you out.” V headed for the front and Vanderwood followed. He knew better to fight V when he was in a mood. When they got outside the shop V noticed a car full of flowers parked next door. While Vanderwood continued to babble V looked at the car and noticed how the light reflected inside the car and he could see the depth of it. Without even thinking he walked over to the car and peered inside. Every seat except for the driver was covered in flowers. There were daffodils, roses, lilies, even succulents and cacti. There were probably more but he couldn’t tell. He was so busy looking at the flowers that he didn’t notice the brown haired woman standing behind him tapping her foot.

“Excuse me but do you mind? I need to get in there.” V turned around and saw a woman in khaki pants and black tank top standing behind him. He moved out of her way and she opened the car door. She grabbed an arm full of flowers and V could see her struggling. Normally V avoided getting into other people’s business but the flowers had him curious.

“Do you need any help?” The woman stared at him and raised an eyebrow. To V she almost seemed suspicious and he regretted ever asking. “Or not. Just thought you had a lot in there and would want some help.” He shrugged and put a hand through his hair.

“Oh thanks but it’s ok. I have a cart to use inside but these already cut and need to be in some water. Putting them on the cart would only smash them.” She turned on her heel and headed back into her shop. V for better lack of words was stunned. She didn’t try to hit on him or anything, and she just flat out refused him. He walked back to his shop and just completely ignored the smile on Vanderwood’s face. When he got back inside he grabbed his notebook and went to sit outside. His brain was just telling him to stop but he really wanted to draw the flowers. So he watched and drew as his new neighbor set up flowers and paid him no mind. At least that’s what V thought but MC was very much aware. In fact she was so aware that she was arranging the flowers in the best way for him to draw. She was a little creeped out by it at first but didn’t mind when she realized that he was drawing the flowers. Time flew by as V did sketch after sketch of the different arrangements and before he knew it he saw his first client coming up to the shop. MC watched as her new neighbor greeted a tall slender guy with long grey hair. They went back into the shop and MC sighed in relief. She was turning around when she ran smack into a younger blonde boy. They both crashed to the ground and MC’s watering can spilled all over her.

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I’m running late and you turned around so fast that I couldn’t get out of the way. Are you ok?” MC looked at the blonde boy and really wanted to cuss him out but she could he was just a kid, and he looked like he was about to cry. She let out a sigh and stood up.

“It’s alright. Spilling water comes with the job.” She smiled at him and that only made Yoosung feel worse.

“My name’s Yoosung Kim. I work at the tattoo shop next door. You’ve probably already met my boss V. He’s the guy with the blue hair” Yoosung seemed so proud of the fact that he knew him. It made MC curious though because V seemed like a giant ass but Yoosung seemed like an innocent little kid. Maybe she had misjudged V.

“I’m MC. I just opened my flower shop here.” She gestured to the building beside her and Yoosung smiled. He was about to say something when V’s voice called out his name.

“Shit. Gotta go. Nice to meet you MC!” Yoosung called as he ran to the tattoo shop. V watched as Yoosung ran over this way and noticed that the girl was soaking wet. Once they were inside Yoosung began to talk really fast. “Sorry I’m late V. I accidently knocked down MC and she got soaked.” V pretended not to care but he was a little happy to know her name now.

“You’re still late and Hyun’s already here.” When they got to the back the man with long silver hair was sitting at a table looking through some sketches. He looked up and smiled at the two.

“Hey Yoosung! What’s up?” Yoosung gave him a high five and started getting V’s equipment out.

“Hey Zen. Not much really. I did get to meet the cute florist next door so that was exciting.” Zen’s eyes looked up from the sketches in surprise.

“Really now? Did you get her number?” Yoosung blushed and shook his head. “You’re killing me man! You know I gotta live vicariously through others. I’d do it through V but he treats women like the plague.” V rolled his eyes pulled his hair into a messy ponytail.

“Did you decide which design you want Hyun?” Frowning at V’s lack of a reaction Zen nodded.

“Yeah I want this one. It has the romantic feel I’m going for.” He handed V a sketch and it was one he had done of MC’s roses earlier. As V transferred it to the stencil he couldn’t help but smile. As V worked Zen turned his attention back to Yoosung. “So why didn’t you get her number Yoosung?” He just shrugged as he got the rubbing alcohol and began to prep where Zen wanted the tattoo.

“Well for one I completely knocked her on her ass and she spilled water all over her. I didn’t think that would be the best time to hit on her. Plus she seems like one of those people who is nice but also scary. Like when I crashed into her I thought she was going to cuss the shit out of me. Even though she smiled I could tell that she was pissed.” V was listening to Yoosung’s every word despite telling himself that he didn’t care. There was something about MC that bugged him but he couldn’t figure it out. She definitely wasn’t like women that he was used to but that really didn’t mean anything to him, or did it. Either way right now he needed to focus and do his job.

“Alright Hyun. You ready?” Zen nodded and V began his work. He worked for almost three hours before feeling satisfied to stop for the day. He had done the basic outline of the piece and some shading. V cleaned off the tattoo and smiled at Zen. “What do you think?” Zen hopped off the table and went over to the mirror. He twisted so that he could see the roses and vines on his ribcage. There was a mirror, microphone, and a stack of paper all inbedded in the vines.

“It’s awesome V! This just might be my favorite one now.” V rolled his eyes but smiled.

“You say that every time.” V took his gloves off and threw them in the trash.

“Well that’s cause you do fucking kick ass work!” He slapped V’s hand they slid into a fist bump. “Alright I’m gonna home and take some new selfies. Take care guys!” He left just as V’s next client was coming in. After Zen V’s appointments seemed to go by pretty fast and before he knew it he was on the last one. It was a smaller piece. The woman had wanted a cancer ribbon and a few flowers in honor of her mother who just passed away. When it was done she cried and V felt his heart lift at her joy. Once she was gone V sat down and sighed. He was so beat that he might sleep here tonight.

“Hey Yoosung.” The blondes head popped in the door way. He almost reminded V of a puppy. “Go ahead and go home. I’ll clean up tonight. Also make sure you practice tonight. You’ve got an appointment tomorrow.” Yoosung eyes lit up like fireworks and he was barely stopping himself from bouncing up and down.

“Are you for real? I actually get to work on someone tomorrow?” V nodded and Yoosung squealed. “I won’t let you down boss!” V waved his hand toward him and Yoosung took off. Once V heard the jingle of the doorbell he got up and started cleaning. He changed all the trash and wiped down all the tables. Just as he was about to start cleaning his tattoo gun he heard the doorbell.

“Sorry we’re closed now.” He said as he made his way to the front. When he got there he found MC standing there. She looked tired and V wondered what she was still doing here so late. “I hope you don’t want a tattoo cause we’re closed.” She seemed dazed but her eyes snapped open when he was done talking.

“Oh no. I figured you were closed but I was hoping that you had a first aid kit.” V looked closer now and noticed that she had a towel wrapped around her hand. She also had red smears on her smock.

“Yeah just a second. Try not to bleed on the floor ok.” V turned his back to her and she just frowned. He sounded like an asshole but MC wasn’t surprised. Most men were assholes, especially when they were that good looking. V came back and handed her a first aid kit. “So what happened?” V’s question surprised her because he didn’t really seem to care about anything.

“Oh. I tripped over a box and fell down with a bunch of vases. Talk about an omen.” She let out a small laugh but V could tell that she was upset. “Anyway, thanks for the first aid kit. I’ll bring it back over tomorrow.” She smiled and turned around to leave and V saw some red seeping through the side of her shirt. Before he could stop himself he was reaching out for her and grabbing her shoulder. MC stopped and looked back at him, clearly shocked.

“I’ll come with you. I’d feel guilty if you got clumsy again and bled out.” He pushed her out of the shop and locked his door.

“It’s ok really. I mostly got it cleaned up. I just needed some bandages.” She tried her best to convince him but it seemed like he wasn’t even listening. They got to her shop and she sighed. V looked around the shop once he was inside and it honestly looked like an indoor garden. “I fell down over there.” She pointed over toward a fridge with a glass door. V grabbed a broom that was next to the counter.

“Alright just sit down and take care of those cuts.” MC nodded and V walked over to the fridge. He noticed that she had in fact moved all of the glass into a pile. Using the broom he swept the glass into an empty box and carried it up to the front. MC seemed completely spaced out and seemed a little pale. V looked at the towel she had wrapped her hand in. There was a lot more blood than he expected and wondered if she was ok. He was honestly surprised by his concern and didn’t really know what to do. “Hey are you sure you’re ok? Is there someone that you need me to call or anything?” MC had been feeling a bit dizzy but V’s voice helped her snap out of it.

“Oh no I texted my roommate and their on their way over. She just had to finish work so she should be here soon. Thank you for your help though. I hope it wasn’t a bother.” V just shrugged and MC went to hand him back the first aid kit.

“Keep it. We have more at the shop. Plus you obviously need it more than I do.” She huffed out a breath and V just turned around a left. Something about that girl made him act weird and he didn’t like it. The last thing he needed was more complicated feelings. MC watched him leave and she was still angry at his implications. This guy was definitely an asshole and nothing could change her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day everything went as normal as usual, expect V didn't see MC. Instead it was a boy with red hair working at the shop. He looked about Yoosung's age and V could tell as they talked that they got along. V tried to draw some of the flowers again but something was off about them today. They just didn't look as majestic as they did yesterday. After an hour of trying to draw them V gave up and went inside. Yoosung noticed his bad mood and decided he better go. He said goodbye to the red head and went back to the shop. When he found V sulking at the drawing table. "Hey V. I've got a possible cover up job for you if you want it." V glanced at Yoosung and pointed to the seat across from him. Happy that V seemed intrigued Yoosung sat down. "Ok so I was talking to the guy at the florist shop, his name is Saeran, and he said he has a bad tat. Apparently when he was young he made some stupid mistakes and one of them was getting a gang tattoo. Would you be willing to look at it and see if you can cover it?" Yoosung clasped his hands together like he was praying and V just leaned back. He was all for helping people getting over their past and if he could help with a tattoo he wanted to. The only thing that worried him was if he'd actually be able to help.

"If MC can spare him tell him I've got an opening after three today. He can come over and I'll look at it. I'm not making promises though." Yoosung's eyes lit up but the he sighed. "What?"

"Well Saeran is the only one there today. So he can't leave the shop until it closes." V raised an eyebrow at the news and couldn't help but wonder where MC was. 

"I see." Was all he said and Yoosung could see a flicker of something in his eyes.

"Yeah. Apparently she got injured last night and had to go to the hospital." So she did lose a lot of blood last night. V's stomach felt heavy and he didn't like how fast his heart was beating. "Saeran said she's ok though. He told me that she should be home today." A feeling of relief came over V and he let out the breath he'd been holding in. He may be a little cold but he still would of felt bad if she was in serious condition. 

"Alright well work it out with him and let me know. And don't forget about your client at one today." Yoosung nodded and left V alone. The rest of the morning went pretty fast and V did a few walk ins to fill the afternoon. He checked in on Yoosung's session a couple of times and noticed that his work had greatly improved. His lines were almost perfect and his was more realistic. V was proud of Yoosung so he let him do the last two walk ins while he drew in his notebook. Before either of them noticed it was almost eight o'clock. Neither of them had ate and V could tell that Yoosung was suffering. Yoosung had just come back from taking out the trash when he found V.

"Hey V I'm gonna head home now. Make sure you get something to eat before you leave." V nodded to him and watched him go. After a while V could no longer ignore the pains in his stomach. He picked up his notebook and left to go get some food. On his way up to his apartment he could hear someone cursing and the jangling of keys. When he turned the corner he saw MC in front of his door. She had her forehead pressed against it and was trying to put her keys in the deadbolt.

"Stupid fucking key. Just go in the hole." She seemed like she was drunk, or something, and V couldn't help but smile at this poor dumb girl. Then he noticed hospital bracelet on her wrist and the bandages on her wrist.

"Hey could you move. I'd like to get inside before my food gets cold." It sounded more mean than he meant it to. MC turned around and glared at him. Her face was still pale and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"V? What are you talking about? This is my apartment, number 606." V just laughed as she pointed at the door. He walked forward and slid his key in. When the door unlocked MC was shocked. She peered at the number on the door and swore it said 606.

"Hate to break it to you love but this is 609. 606 is down that way." MC blushed at her mistake and stormed off down the hall. V heard her mumble something about contacts as she walked right past her door. "You passed it." He yelled as she went around the corner. She came back and found her door. Before going in she made sure to give him the finger and it only made him laugh. When V realized he was laughing so loud he went into his apartment. It had been so long since V laughed like that and it felt good. Until he remembered who he used to laugh with. With bad memories floating in his head he ate his food and decided to go out for some fresh air. On his way out of the apartment he saw Saeran walking up with a woman who had short brown hair and glasses. When Saeran saw him he stopped to say hello.

"Hey. Do you live here?" Saeran pointed to the door and V nodded. Saeran only smiled and chuckled "Well this will be interesting." V raised an eyebrow and he just shrugged. "Nevermind. Well see ya later V." Saeran turned to leave but V suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Saeran. Can you give this to MC?" He handed Saeran an envelope and now Saeran was confused. "It's just a card from Yoosung and I. He was pretty freaked out about her being in the hospital." A small smirk appeared on Saeran's face and V regretted even giving it to him. "It's whatever really. She's fine so I don't know why he was so worked up." He shrugged and turned to leave.

"Thanks V. I'm sure she'll appreciate this." V just shrugged and turned the corner. Saeran couldn't help but smile. 

"Saeran are you coming?" The girl with short brown hair called to him and he nodded.

"Sorry Jaehee. That was V, the guy who owns the tattoo shop." Jaehee nodded as she opened to apartment door.

"I see. So that's the guy MC was raving about last night." She smiled as she opened the door and let Saeran in. "MC I'm back! Are you here?" 

"Yeah I'm in the kitchen. The hospital food sucked balls so I'm starving." MC came out of the kitchen holding a mixing bowl. Jaehee went up to her and took the bowl.

"You were supposed to wait for me at the hospital, and you should still be resting." Jaehee looked into the mixing bowl and sighed. "Not making pancakes. Besides Saeran and I brought take out home." She covered the mixing bowl and put it in the fridge. When she finished MC was already in the living room getting her food out.

"Oh MC this is for you." Saeran handed her the envelope and a look of curiosity was on her face. "It's from V and Yoosung apparently." MC frowned and pouted at the envelope.

"Ugh probably just an asshole note. I bet it says something like congrats on being so clumsy." She set the envelope down and focused on her food.

"I still think you should open it. Might be something nice." Jaehee joined them at the coffee table and gave her two cents. MC had only been living with her for a year but for that whole year MC was never more lively than when she ranted about V. Jaehee wasn't sure if this was a good thing but it was nice to see her passionate about something other than flowers.

"I will after I eat." She took a bite of her food and sighed. MC sighed as soon as the food was in her mouth. It had been hours since she ate and the food was worth the wait. "So how was the shop today Saeran?" He just shrugged at her question.

"Pretty busy. A lot of people called to place orders and we sold ten arrangements." Saeran thought back to see if there was anything missing from the day. "Oh and if it's ok with you I'm going to hand out with Yoosung on Sunday." MC nodded and made a mental note to write that down.

"Alright. Sunday should be pretty slow so I won't need your help at the shop. How's your brother doing by the way?" Saeran frowned at her and set down his food.

"Same as always I suppose. He's still an annoyingly loud idiot. Why you finally want his number?" MC rolled her eyes and threw a wadded up napkin at him.

"Hell no. I've sworn off manhandling. Plus lord help the girl who dates him. He is nothing but energy." Saeran laughed and ruffled MC's hair. "God you're such an ass. I don't see how Jaehee spends so much time around you." Saeran just shrugged and Jaehee couldn't help but giggle. These two always bickered like siblings, and even though she usually had to break it up, she enjoyed watching it. MC got up and threw her stuff away. "I'll be in my room if you guys need me." She picked up the envelope and the left the two in the living room. Once she was in her room she sat down on her bed and opened the letter. Two cards fell out and she almost gasped at the first one. It was an index card that had a drawing of blue hydrangeas and white daisies. She looked closer and noticed that these were her flowers from outside the shop. At the bottom of the card it said feel better. Her head began to spin in confusion. She knew V was drawing her flowers the other day but she had no idea his drawings were so beautiful. MC also wondered why he cared enough to even give this to her. He didn't act interested in her and wouldn't even return a polite hello. Suddenly remembering the second card she picked it up from the bed. It was blank except for a single sentence. "Come by the shop tomorrow. What the hell for? He didn't even say please or give a reason." MC fell back on her bed and sighed. "What an asshole." She said putting the cards on her nightstand next to the clock. It was already past ten and MC could feel the exhaustion setting in. She got up to go brush her teeth and then crashed on her bed. Pushing all thoughts of V out of her head she drifted off quickly until her alarm went off. When she was walking through the door she noticed that Jaehee and Saeran had fallen asleep on the couch together. She too a quick picture with her phone to tease Jaehee about later. She quietly closed the door and locked it back. As soon as she began to walk down the hall she saw V's door opening and hurried to the elevator and prayed that he wouldn't be in it with her. MC liked to have quiet mornings and she knew that seeing V would probably just put her in a bad mood. The doors opened and MC hopped in and began pushing the button to close them. They began to close and MC breathed a sigh of relief, until a hand shot in between them. The doors opened back up and V was standing there. He stepped in and the doors closed.

"Just my luck." He said it under his breath, but MC still heard him. 

"Asshole." MC had only whispered it but the elevator wasn't that big. V's eyes snapped opened and he looked to MC. She was surprised by his reaction.

"You scared the piss out of me." V said after gaining his composure again. He had honestly thought he was the only one in the elevator.

"What the hell? I was in here before you. Did you seriously just now notice me?" V just shrugged and pulled out his phone.

"Damn you're noisey. You'll wake up the whole building at this point." Her jaw nearly dropped and V just continued to look at his phone. The doors opened and MC couldn't be happier.

"God you're such an ass." She said before storming off. V was still half asleep so all he heard was ass and found himself staring at hers. The doors closed and snapped back to reality. When he got out of the elevator MC was nowhere to be found. V almost felt bad that his morning drowsiness had pissed her off but then again he was just being honest. He decided to just ignore it for now and go to work. When he got there he saw MC setting up flowers outside. She was moving so fast and V could tell that she was working for the sake to keep busy. MC saw V pulled up but instead of giving him a polite hello like she usually did she went back inside. her delivery guy was unloading the last of her flowers when he noticed the card the V drew on the counter.

"Say miss that's a very good drawing. Is it for one of your arrangements?" Confused by his question the man pointed to the card. MC had totally forgotten that she had brought it with her and put it in her pocket.

"Oh no. I was sick yesterday and someone drew it for me." MC gave it some thought and suddenly her eyes lit up. "But that's not a bad idea actually. I wonder if I can get him on board though." Now the delivery man was confused and MC blushed. "Sorry was talking to myself. Thank you for the delivery though!" The man tipped his hat to her and left the shop. Once he was gone MC locked her shop and went next door. She tired to open the door but it was locked, so she began to knock on it. When V heard the knocking he thought that Yoosung had forgotten his keys again. So when he saw MC he was surprised to say the least. He unlocked the door and held it open enough to talk through.

"What do you want?" She frowned at him but bit her lip.

"I have a business proposal for you. Can I come in?" V honestly couldn't think of a single way a tattoo shop and a florist could do business together.

"No." He was too tired to deal with this right now. Even if she had an idea that would only mean seeing more of her and V wasn't sure if that was something he wanted. This girl was loud, clumsy, and sometimes just a bitch. She didn't flirt with him or anything which is the only reason V even talked to her on occasion.

"What do you mean no? You haven't even heard my idea!" V began to close the door and she struggled to hold it open. MC knew that V would be stubborn about this but she would be just as stubborn. She pulled the card that he drew out of her pocket and held it against the door. "It involves your card. Just come find me when you're not so cranky and at least hear me out." She walked off and V pinched the bridge of his nose. Now that is curiosity was peaked he'd have no choice but to hear her out. It was then that he knew that today was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

When the day was finally over V felt like he could sleep for a week. "Yoosung I'm not opening the shop tomorrow so you don't need to come in." Yoosung stopped in shock and began to worry.

"Is everything ok V?" The last time V closed the shop for a day was when someone broke in and he was forced to.

"Yeah. I just haven't been getting a lot sleep lately and I can't do good tattoos if I'm tired. It's important to know your limits otherwise you'll make a mistake that will last forever." Yoosung nodded at V's little lesson and put the cleaning stuff away. So I'm going to head home and crash. Don't forget to lock up." Yoosung nodded again and V left him to it. Driving home was all a blur and V was a little surprised that he didn't crash. When he got into the building V saw MC standing in front of the elevator. He debated taking the stairs but decided he was too tired. So he waited quietly behind MC for the elevator. When it opened he did his best to stay behind her and not be noticed. However that was easier said than done.

"Hello." Was all she said. Her voice was quiet and V wondered if that had anything to do with what he said this morning. They rode together in silence until the elevator made a loud clunking noise and halted to a stop. It was so sudden that MC lost her balance and fell right into V, knocking them both down. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." MC looked around the elevator completely oblivious to the fact that she was sitting on V's lap.

"Tell me about it you're kinda heavy." V considered pushing her off the the fragrance of flower stopped him. This was the closest he had ever been to her and he hated that he didn't mind it. Once he realized this he stood up leaving MC on the ground. If only he had just taken the stairs.

"Not like I chose to land on you." MC pulled her knees into her chest and sighed. "I guess it could be worse." V raised and eyebrow. "I could be stuck in here with my ex instead of a cranky tattoo artist." V just stared at her blankly and then started laughing. MC's eyes widened a bit at how happy he looked. She didn't even think he was capable of laughing.

"Shit you're right. Getting stuck in here with my ex would be a shit show." V sank down the elevator wall across from MC. He smiled at her and MC suddenly felt weird.

"I take it cupid hasn't been kinda to you either?" V rolled his eyes and pulled his hair into pony tail.

"Kind would be an understatment. I can't even begin to tell you how fucked up my last realationship was." MC could see it in V's eyes and she probably shouldn't pry but this was a rare moment and she was curious.

"Is it as bad as verbal abuse, doing drugs, and stealing from you?" V just shrugged but he was surprised by MC's history.

"Just about. Not only was she some kind of psycho. She cheated on me a week before our wedding with my best friend. Then tried to actually go through with the wedding." The words surprised V as they came out. The only other person who knew any of this was Vanderwood after V had one too many drinks one night. MC was also shocked by how open V was being but she was more shocked by his story.

"That's fucked up. What did you do?" 

"I went along with it until the day of the wedding and then I dipped out of town and moved here." V wore a satisfied smile on his face as MC laughed.

"That's amazing. I bet she was pissed." She watched as V pulled out his notebook and chuckled.

"Doubtful. I dodged a bullet with her. She tried to blind me and I still almost married her. She used to talk a lot about darkness and saving people. There were other flags and I ignored all of them. Looking back now I think our love was more of an obsession but I just couldn't see it." MC watched the sadness flashed over V's face and she knew how he felt. She watched as V drew and tried to think of something to say.

"Well they say that the problem with looking at someone through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags." V looked up from his notebook and just blinked at her. She sounded more like she was saying it to herself than him. MC looked to V and was surprised at how soft his face looked. This whole day was taking a weird turn and MC wasn't sure how to handle it. "Well I guess you told me your story so I'll tell you mine if you want." V just shrugged his shoulders and acted uninterested. Truth we told he was more than interested.

"Why the hell not. I've got nothing but time to kill I guess." MC sighed and let her head fall back against the wall. V saw the all too familiar look of bitter heart ache on her face. "Was he really that bad?" She nodded and let out another sigh.

"Oh yeah. I mean it started out great of course but then things changed out of nowhere. He lost his job and started taking it out on me. He'd come home drunk and talk shit to me or just pass out. I justified it though saying that he was just depressed over work, then he started doing drugs. Once the drugs started I tried my best to save money but he would get rough and take it." MC paused and took a moment to compose himself. It all still felt so fresh in her mind. "Then he was always having parties. Him and all of new friends would get high and I would have to fend them all off."

"What changed?" V didn't expect to ask but his curiosity got the best of him. MC just shrugged and drew circles on the floor with her finger.

"I guess one day I just got tired of being so scared. So I called the only person I knew out here and and made a plan. It was a cowards plan but I'm always a coward. I didn't even tell my parents, not that they would care." V looked over to her and she had been braiding her hair. The look in her eyes was distant and V was finally beginning to understand why he was drawn to her. They were eerily similar and V didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"How long were you with him?" V didn't mean to ask the question, but it just slipped out. MC laughed at the question and V raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry. The answer to your question just makes me feel like a fool. I put up with him for three years before I left. I really am just a stupid girl." She hugged her knees and rested her head on them. V hated to see that look of self loathing on her face, it really didn't suite her. 

"Hey what was the proposal you came up with earlier?" Her head perked up and looked at him. His face was stoic as always and she wondered why he brought it up.

"Oh. It's probably a dumb idea. I was just thinking that if you drew some more of those cards I could put them with my flowers. My delivery man is the one who gave me the idea." V's eyes widened as she talked. He already had a lot of sketches that he'd done and if he agreed then he would get to draw more. To be honest it was an idea that never would of crossed his mind and it would benefit him more than her. That was the part that he didn't get.

"Why do you want to use my drawings though? There's not even a real benefit for you." MC fished out the card from her pocket and showed it to him.

"Because you're the only person who sees the flowers the way I do." V struggled to hide his surprise and the slight blush on his cheeks. MC was busy looking at the card and she really did like it. It was hard not to get lost in the drawing. "You many be an ass hole ninety precent of the time but the way you draw is just painfully beautiful. Kinda makes me understand why your such an ass." She gave him a teasing smile and V couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is it really wise to call a potential business partner an ass hole before they agree?" MC just shrugged.

"Probably not but I wouldn't want a partner that I can't be honest with." MC looked over at the doors as she spoke. They had been stuck for a while but she had no idea if any one knew yet. It was late so most people were already in for the night since it was a weekday. She wasn't really afraid of small spaces but this was starting to get to her a little bit. "How long have we been in here now?" V looked at his phone and saw that it was now almost ten.

"Maybe a little over an hour. It's almost ten." He saw a worried look flash across her face. If she started to panic it would only make things worse. "It'll be fine. I pushed the fire button as soon as the elevator stopped. So I'm sure they're working on it right now." A little bit of relief overcame her and she found herself suddenly glad to be stuck with V. Any other guy probably would of hit on her or worse. V noticed that she looked a bit more relaxed now but he wanted to make sure she stayed that way. "Do you want to see some of my drawings?" MC was surprised by his question but she nodded. V gestured for her to come over to him and she carefully got up. The elevator creaked and MC froze and her heart began to race. "Hey it's alright. Just focus on me." V held out his hand to her and she took it. V gently guided her next to him. Once she sat down MC got a faint scent of cinnamon and alcohol from V. Somehow it made her feel more at ease.

"Sorry about that. I guess being in here is starting to get to me." She let out a nervous laugh. V just shrugged and handed her the notebook.

"It's mostly all flowers from your shop but also just some sketches from me being bored." MC opened up the journal and gasped. The first drawing was of the roses she kept outside. Even though it was in black and white it seemed so real. Every rose looked different and almost made the real ones look dull. She flipped through the rest of the notebook and studied every drawing. V watched as she flipped through the notebook. Her eyes were almost shining and the artist inside of him was beyond happy. He was more than content watching her and before he knew it his eyes began to close and he gave way to the exhaustion he had been feeling earlier. MC felt something heavy hit her shoulder and looked to find V sleeping on it. She felt her face get hot and she debated on moving. He looked so calm and peaceful though and MC just found herself staring. When she first met V she thought of him as just another douchebag, but now she saw him differently. She understood his pain and she felt bad for thinking that about him. He was just someone else trying to heal a broken heart, just like her. MC smiled at his sleeping face and noticed how warm he actually was. It was actually making her feel a little drowsy too. Before closing the notebook MC wrote her number in it and leaned her head against V. It couldn't do any harm to just sleep a bit could it?

A loud creaking noise caused both of them to jump. Still half asleep MC clung to V and he had his arms around her. The creaking noise continued and the two looked around trying to find the source. When their eyes locked they realized how close they were. MC's face turned red and V let her go. She turned her back to him and pretended to look for the noise. Her heart was pounding and V wasn't in much better shape. When he thought there was danger all he wanted to do was protect her and even know he could feel himself wanting to hold her again. This was not good. Not good at all. "Hello? Is anyone in there, can you hear me?" The new voice made the two forget their embarrassment and look at the doors. There was an opening and someone was shining a flashlight in.

"Yes. There's two of us." V's voice was calm and collected but MC couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

"Alright. We'll have you guys out in just a bit. Be sure to stand back." As they backed up MC noticed how V stood in front of her and she wondered if he was doing that on purpose. The doors finally opened and there was a small gap where they saw the heads of some fire fighters. "Ok it's gonna be tight but we need you guys to climb out one at a time." MC expected V to go first since he was in front of her, but then he turned around and looked at her.

"You should go first." Being surprised all she did was nod before moving towards the doors. "And hey. Don't feel like you have to wait for me. Just go home and get some sleep. You look like shit." MC smiled at him and rolled her eyes.

"You're one to talk." She flipped him off and it was hard for him not to laugh. V watched as the firefighters helped her down and he bit his lip when he saw one of them carry her off. By the time V had managed to get out of the elevator MC was already and he was glad that she listened to him. When he exited the stairwell on his floor he noticed that one of the lights on the wall was out. He peered through the darkness and saw someone sitting on the floor. As he got closer he saw that it was MC and she was slumped against her door sleeping. He shook her shoulder and she barely woke up.

"Hey. Why are you sleeping in the hallway?" He pinched her cheek and her eyes half opened.

"Locked out. Jaehee gone." She pointed up at the door and V saw a note. "Don't worry. I'm gonna," she paused as if falling back asleep. V waited to see if she was going to finish but only sighed when she slumped forward. He knew that he should just leave her but something was stopping him. Instead of listening to his head he picked her up and carried her to his apartment. He put her on the couch and wrote her a note. He wouldn't be so nice if she woke him up tomorrow. Once that was all done V threw himself on his bed and cursed himself a hundred times before falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When MC woke up she noticed that it was nearly dark, she had slept the whole day. As her eyes adjusted she noticed that this wasn't her bedroom. She looked down at her chest and was relieved to see that she still had her clothes on. The last thing she remembered last night was reading Jaehee's note and trying to get inside the apartment. Her plan was to go back to the shop and get her keys but that never happened. Now she just had to figure whose bed she was in. She carefully rolled over to see if anyone was in the bed with her. When she saw a head of long blue hair she nearly screamed. A million questions began to race through her mind and then V began to move like he was waking up. Panicked MC closed her eyes and pretended to still be sleeping. She heard V groan and adjust on the bed but didn't open her eyes yet. V noticed right away that MC was in his bed and he didn't mind at first. The fact that it made him smile pissed him off even more than her being in the bed. After taking a second to look over her sleeping figure he pushed her off the bed and she instantly sat up. "Why are you in my bed?" His question was a bit cold and caught MC off gaurd. 

"Hell if I know! What am I even doing in your apartment in the first place?" Now V was caught off guard. The fact that she didn't even remember only made V regret bringing her over in the first place. He hated noise as soon as he woke up.

"I found you passed out in the hallway because you're a dumbass who got locked out. I thought I'd be nice and let you sleep on my couch." MC was beyond baffled as the biggest question still hung in the air. V saw her trying to think and decided to get some payback. "It couldn't be that you were trying to seduce me was it? You're not in love with me are you?" Her face turned red and V smirked in victory. MC couldn't believe this guy. First he just pushed her off the bed, like a sack, and now was trying to inflate his ego.

"Don't give yourself so much credit. The day I fall in love with you will be the day the world ends! I swear you're the biggest ass hole I've ever met!" MC wanted to say more but then she saw a flash of lightning out the window. Her stomach churned and her face lost all color. V noticed the change and got a little worried. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. "I have to go." She stuttered. V wanted to ask what was wrong but she took off before he could. A rumble of thunder echoed from outside and he swore that he heard her cry out. He got out of bed and found that she was gone but her bag and shoes were still here. V gathered it up and headed down the hall to her apartment. After knocking on the door a woman with short brown hair and glasses opened the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked raising an eyebrow. V noticed a lumpy blanket on the couch behind the woman. Any time there was thunder the lump flinched. "V?" His attention shifted back to the woman. This must be her roommate Jaehee.

"Sorry. MC left this stuff at my place." He handed her the stuff and Jaehee noticed him looking back to the living room. "Is she ok?" She pushed him out into the hall and closed the door behind her.

"Why was she over at your place? I tried to ask her but she's too afraid to talk right now." Jaehee looked at him with sharp eyes. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Nope. I mean she was yelling at me for making fun of her but then out of nowhere her face turned white. Then she ran out." Jaehee would of thought he was lying if there wasn't a flicker of worry in his eyes. She leaned back against the door and sighed.

"I see. It must of been because of the storm. I only found about this recently but MC is terrified of thunder. Normally she just hides in her room but this time she only made it to the couch. When storms hit she can't even move but she won't accept any help. I don't know how she's going to handle the hurricanes this year." V's eyes widened a bit. After seeing how well she handled being stuck in the elevator he never imagined she'd be so afraid of something. Jaehee watched him carefully as he seemed to be thinking. She smiled at herself while he was lost in thought. "Ya know it's ok to be nice to her. I've seen guys and girls hit on her but she's never cared. So I don't think you have to worry about her falling for you." V was kinda surprised that she had said that and Jaehee only continued to smile. "Yoosung told us about how grumpy you get around women." V frowned and Jaehee just laughed. "All I'm saying is that you're both hurt so why not try healing together." She shrugged and then left V standing in the hallway. He understood what Jaehee had meant but the problem was that he felt different with MC. Deep down he knew what these feelings were but he wasn't ready to admit it. Still frowning he went back to his apartment. The first thing he did when he got back was flip open his notebook. When he was searching for a clean page something stuck out to him. It was his drawing of sunflowers and it had something written at the bottom. It was a note that read, Call me when you want to talk more about the proposal. Look forward to working with you, MC, underneath was a phone number. Not thinking about it he pulled out his phone and texted the number. He didn't expect a response or anything but at least now she had his number as well. About an hour had passed and the storm finally stopped. A knock came from the door and V figured it was his take out. When he opened the door he was surprised to see Jaehee stand there.

"Is something wrong?" Jaehee bit her lip as if debating to ask.

"Well yes and no. My boss called and I have to go into work, but the weather report said that it's supposed to storm all night. So I was wondering if you'd stay with MC?" V was surprised by her request.

"Saeran would be better for it. Why don't you call him?" Jaehee shook her head and sighed.

"I already tried calling him but he wouldn't answer. Normally I'd just leave her be but I'm worried she'll try to leave and get stuck somewhere when it storms again. Last time that happened she got stuck in the woods and got pneumonia and we didn't find her for three days." V saw the fear on Jaehee's face and sighed.

"She would be the one to do that. Alright I'll bring her over here and stay with her." Jaehee raised an eyebrow and V sighed again. "You guys have that huge loft window. I have almost no windows in my place." Jaehee's eyes lit up at the realization and she nodded.

"Alright thank you V! I promise to return the favor when ever you need it." She the sped off and V was surprised to see her move so fast. V sighed and closed his door to go get MC. When he knocked on the door he heard shuffling and it slowly opened. She looked completely exhausted but she was surprised to see him.

"Hey, come over to my place. I wanna talk to you about work." She didn't move and V was actually a little nervous.

"Like right now?" V nodded and she seemed to be thinking. "Alright. Let me change and I'll be right over. Do you want to come in and wait?"

"What you have on is fine. Just come on. I ordered food and it should be here soon." V reached grabbed her hand and tried to pull her through the door.

"V! I literally don't have any pants on!" He let go of her hand and felt his cheeks heat up.

"Why the hell don't you have pants on!" MC just glared at him and stormed away from the door. He went inside and closed it.

"Not that it's your business but I was going to shower. I wasn't expecting my asshole neighbor to try dragging me out the door!" He listened to her scream at him through the apartment. It made him feel at ease to see her back to normal.

"Ok what kind of idiot answers the door without pants on?" He saw her poke her head into the hall way and she was glaring at him.

"The peep hole is broken so I thought it was Jaehee coming back to get her keys!" MC walked back into the living room wearing legging pants and a long, flowing, purple tank top. V couldn't stop staring at her because this was the first time he'd actually seen her out of work clothes. He now understood why people were always approaching her. Hell if he was a different man he'd want to. "Why are you looking at me like that? You look weird." V snapped out of his thoughts and rolled his eyes.

"Just spaced out waiting for you. Are you finally ready?" MC was already moving toward the door and V followed. She locked the door behind them and they walked down the hall to V's door. V saw his delivery guy headed their way so he went ahead and let MC in. "I'll be there in a sec." She nodded and went through the door. Once inside she sat down on the couch and turned on her tablet. She looked around the room and noticed that it was different than what she expected. There was a bookcase that had a lot of books on it and she became curious. V didn't seem like the type of person who read a lot. She went over and ran her hand over them. Most of them were books that she really enjoyed. Titles such as Pride and Prejudice, Dorian Grey, Shakespeare, Catcher in the Rye, and even The Great Gatsby. She pulled the copy of Pride and Prejudice and noticed that it was well worn. MC smiled at it fondly and wondered how often V had read it. As if reading her mind V's voice came from behind her. "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." V set a pizza down on the coffee table and MC couldn't help but smile.

"You must read it a lot. It's one of my favorites. Actually there's a quote that makes me think of you a lot." V raised an eyebrow. "I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." He chuckled at her line and plucked the book from her hands.

"Really that's the one? Out of all the things that Elizabeth says about Darcy, that's what you're going with?" MC just shrugged and went to sit back down. 

"I mean there are others but that one fits the best. I'm actually kinda surprised that you read so much. Very rarely do I meet people who've read any of those books. Is Pride and Prejudice your favorite one?" V put the book back on the shelf and sat down on the couch next to her.

"It's the one I read the most. You could say it's sentimental to me I guess." V only shrugged but MC was surprised that he told her that much. "Anyway let's do some work. I figured you could tell me which of the drawings you liked and we can work out a plan or something. V wasn't really good at business stuff but he wanted to make this work.

"Well I actually came up with some ideas while I was at my shop." She turned on her tablet and opened up her notepad on it. V moved closer so that he could see. "I figured that the easiest way to make the cards is to scan the drawings and send them to a print shop. My plan was to call the print shop and get pricing but that never happened, obviously. Basically all we need to do is price it, set up the payments, and print them. I would obviously pay you for the drawings. I figured we could also put our logos on the card but that might take a while since I'm still trying to make mine."

"What do you mean?" She pulled up another section on tablet and V saw a bunch of different logo designs. "Are you trying to design a logo for your shop?"

"Yeah but I kinda suck at this sorta this stuff. Nothing I plan out feel right ya know?" V looked through the sketches and felt the wheels in his brain turning.

"Do you have a stylus for this thing?" MC nodded and handed him the stylus. "It's not that these are bad. I think you're just too focused on the name." He moved the stylus around one of the designs and cleaned it up. "Like this one for example, instead of making the words go around the flower just make them a contrasting color. Then put them across the flower. You could even put them across a banner or something." V handed her back the tablet so she could look at what he did.

"That's actually almost perfect. It's just the wrong flower." She seemed to be thinking and the gasped. After some adjustments on the design MC proudly showed it to V. "How does that look." V saw that she changed it to a sunflower and changed the script to a cursive one.

"Looks good. Why a sunflower though? I thought you liked roses more." MC only shrugged but she was smiling.

"Nope. Roses are nice but compared to a sunflower it's nothing." She leaned back on the couch and sighed. "I guess I just like how sunflowers are always reaching for the sun, even when it storms." As soon as she said that she heard the rain outside she knew what was coming. "I should probably get going. There's some things I have to do." V could see how nervous she was getting. The fact that she was trying to hide it from him made him want to help her more. She was acting like him and he understood that. MC stood up from the couch but V pulled her back down.

"Just stay here. My apartment isn't a loft so I don't have big windows. The thunder won't be so loud if you stay here." MC's eyes widened in shock but before she could ask how he knew a loud rumble of thunder made her shriek. She covered her ears with her hands and pulled her knees into her chest. Seeing her like that made V only want to comfort her more, but he didn't know what to do. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. He went into his room and brought back some headphones, and a tablet of his own. After setting up the tablet he put the headphones on MC and hit play. MC noticed the new sound and slowly opened her eyes. "There now you won't be able to hear it." MC nodded and V could still tell she was afraid. "Don't worry I'm not going anywhere, so just relax and listen to the book." Again she only nodded. MC honestly didn't know what to say. The audio book was helping but she was shocked at V helping her so much. After a few chapters of listening to the book MC was beginning to feel drowsy.

"Hey V." He looked over at her as she yawned. "Thank you." She had a soft smile on her face. V felt that ping in his chest again and frowned. That was getting annoying. 

"Don't worry about it." She nodded at him and he could tell that she was fighting it. "Just go to sleep. I'll wake you up once the storm passes. MC rubbed her arms with her hands with eyes half closed. 

"As you wish." She said. V's eyes went wide when she said that. Considering what her favorite book was she had to know what that meant. He got closer to her to see if he could ask her about it but she was already asleep. V sighed and took the headphones off of her. When he did it he touched her arm and noticed how could she was.

"Stupid girl. Why didn't you ask for a blanket or something?" She didn't answer him, of course, and he just shook his head. Once he had a blanket on her he sat across from her and began to draw. He was about done with his drawing when there was a knock on the door. When he opened it Jaehee and Saeran were on the other side. "Oh hey. MC hid your key so you could get it." Jaehee nodded and smiled at her.

"Thanks V. How is she doing?" V just shrugged.

"She's sleeping right now. I told her I'd wake her up when the storm was over." Jaehee's eyes were wide as she looked in and saw the sleeping MC.

"Remarkable. How did you get her to sleep?" V gave a sly smile and Saeran frowned. Jaehee's cheeks turned pink when she realized the implication. "You didn't!" V chuckled at the two and their angry expressions.

"I don't know why you two look so angry. All I did was give her some headphones and an audio book." Saeran rolled his eyes and Jaehee sighed.

"God you really are an ass." She turned around and headed down the hall. "Come on Saeran. I don't want MC to wake up while it's still storming." Saeran just shrugged and followed her. V closed the door and sighed. It was late so he figured that he might as well try and sleep. At least while he was sleeping he wouldn't have so many weird feelings inside of him. He headed toward his bedroom when he heard a crack of thunder followed by a clatter. He looked back and didn't see MC on the couch anymore. As he got closer he saw her under the blanket and she was shaking. He poked her through the blanket and she flinched.

"Relax. It's just me. You fell off the couch. Are you hurt?" She didn't answer him and V frowned. "There's no reason to be so afraid. Besides I don't want you to bleed on my carpet." Another roll of thunder came buy and V heard her whimper under the blanket. Once the thunder passed he lifted up the blanket and looked at her. "MC seriously. I know I'm kind of an ass but I want to at least try and help you." This time he reached out and grabbed her hand. MC felt the warmth and looked up at V. His eyes were so kind and sincere and MC actually believed him. Another crack of thunder, and this one shook the windows. MC tensed up but felt herself moving. When she opened her eyes she was on V's lap and he was holding her. "Just tell me what you need. Just let me help, please." His voice sounded far away and pleading. Almost like he was talking to a memory. MC clenched his shirt in her hand and leaned into him.

"Your voice. I actually don't mind it. So just talk to me." V's eyes widened at her answer and he could feel his heart speeding up.

"Why though? My voice is so flat and boring." MC shrugged against him and then flinched at the thunder. "I mean it's not as bad as Yoosung's. His makes it sound like he's constantly whining. But at least his voice has tones. I've put clients to sleep with my voice before." V looked down at MC and saw that she had stopped shaking. Now he just needed to keep talking but he didn't know what to say. "Hey hold on to me. I'm gonna move to the couch." Before MC could say anything V had hooked his arms around her and was standing up. He sat down on the couch but didn't move her off of him. 

"V, do you want me to move?" At first her question confused him but then he realized she was on his lap. His cheeks heated up but he didn't mind having her so close.

"Only if you want to. If this is helping then I'll suffer." It was the best answer he could give without sounding happy. 

"Ok." This wasn't how she planned on this night going but she was happy to have some company. Another round of thunder cracked along with pounding rain. MC curled into V's chest and she couldn't help but notice that his heart was beating really fast. She figured he was just annoyed but trying to nice. "Thank you." V just shrugged and started stroking her hair.

"It's fine. Just don't fall in love with me after this, because tomorrow I'm just going to be your unfriendly neighborhood asshole." MC began to laugh after he said that and V felt relieved. 

"You might want to rethink that plan. Some people might get the wrong idea." V rolled his eyes and almost regretted comforting her.

"You know what I meant. Or would you rather I was always this nice to you?"

"Nope. I love you as the asshole neighbor you are. You being nice two days in a row are weird enough." He laughed at her statement but she was right. Vanderwood would never let him live it down if he saw him now. He knew this behaviour was abnormal for him but he couldn't stop it. Something else took over when it came to dealing with MC.

"It really is. Maybe I'm so nice to you because you don't even look like a girl." MC punched him in the chest and it actually hurt a bit. 

"Asshole. That was uncalled for." He really meant it more as a joke but he was glad to see her feeling better. MC still flinched when she heard the thunder but V kept distracting her. The storm raged on in the night but at some point they both fell asleep on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the "As you wish" line has anyone confused the I suggest you read/watch The Princess Bride. I don't want to say it here because it's technically foreshadowing. Also Pride and Prejudice is a great book if you haven't read it, along with all the other books listed.


	5. Chapter 5

MC woke up to a warm feeling that almost made her want to back to sleep. When she opened her eyes it was obvious that she was still in V's apartment. As she tried to get get up she noticed something heavy weighing her down. "Just five more minutes." She felt V's breath on her neck and stiffened. She tried harder to get up but she hand no leverage and V was holding her tightly.

"V wake up." He only groaned in response

"Why?" Her jaw dropped and her cheeks turned red. V may of been sleeping but god he was so clueless.

"Cause I need to get up and we are way too close to be considered friends right now." V's eyes finally opened and he saw MC's brown hair in front of him. He also realized that he was holding her a lot closer than he should be. "Can you let me up now?" 

"As you wish." He moved his arms and she rolled off the couch. MC wasn't sure which shocked her more. His line or the fact that he actually let her fall. "Don't know why you're complaining so much. You didn't mind having me so close last night." MC stood up and dusted herself off. She frowned at him and rolled her eyes.

"That was different." Her Cheeks felt warm as she thought back to last night. V had been so nice to her and aside from the thunder it was a nice night. "I'm not myself when it storms." Her face fell and V tried to think of something to say. When nothing came to mind he just watched her gather up her things. "Anyway I'm already late to open the shop. I just hope I can still hail a cab." V still looked to be half asleep so she was mostly talking to herself. She made sure she had everything and tried waking V up. "Hey don't you need to get up too? It's almost ten already." V opened his eyes and just blinked at her. The sun poured in behind her and at first he thought he was dreaming of an angel. He felt a pang in his chest and just closed his eyes.

"Eventually. Why are you so loud?" MC huffed at him and threw a pillow at him.

"Whatever. I'm leaving. See you later V." He listened until he heard the door close behind her. Once he knew that she was gone he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. This girl was driving him nuts and he hated that part of him didn't want it to stop. His phone began to ring and V picked it up. It was Vanderwood.

"Hey are you ok? Yoosung said you closed the shop yesterday and that he hasn't seen you yet today."

"Yeah. I've just been over tired so I needed to recharge. Not that it helped much." Vanderwood felt there was more to this than being tired. 

"I see. Well I'm going out for drinks tonight. Wanna come?" V normally turned down going to bars because women just hit on him but he could actually use a few drinks. Plus part of him kinda wanted to get Vanderwood's advice.

"Sure why not." Vanderwood was surprised but also glad.

"Alright. I'll swing by your shop after I get done with work." V hung up the phone and got ready for work. This week had been hell and he could use some drinks.

Down the hall MC was back in her apartment and found Jaehee in the kitchen drinking coffee. "Hey." She said as she poured some for herself. "You haven't left for work yet?" Jaehee shook her head and raised an eyebrow at MC.

"So, two nights in a row at V's place. Anything you want to share with me?" She shot MC a look and her cheeks turned red.

"Hell no! Ewww god Jaehee really? You've got to take it there?" Jaehee just shrugged and sipped her coffee.

"Well can you blame me. Just the other day you seemed to hate him and now you're spending nights at his place and working with him. If you don't like him why do you keep spending so much time with him?" MC wish she had an answer for that herself.

"I don't know! Ever since we got stuck in the elevator," Jaehee's eyes went wide.

"Wait when was this?" It wasn't normal for something like this to slip by Jaehee. 

"Like two nights ago when you stayed at Saeran's place." Jaehee blushed and began to stutter.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." MC gave her a look and she blushed even more. "T-t-this isn't about me. Why did the elevator change things?" MC bit her lip. She really had no answer to give and it drove her nuts.

"I don't know. We just talked and I guess I just realized how similar we actually are. After that it's just been little things I guess. I mean he's still a pain in the ass but he's not as bad as I thought I guess." MC hid her face behind her coffee mug and Jaehee just smiled. When MC saw her smiling put her coffee down and stormed off. "It's whatever though he's still a guy. I'm taking a shower." Jaehee followed after her and knocked on the door.

"Fine I'll quit asking. How about we go out tonight, just the two of us? We're way over do for a girls night." MC opened to door and smiled at her.

"That sounds great actually. Meet back here after work?" Jaehee nodded and turned to leave. By the time MC hand got to the shop it was already noon and Saeran was about to close up for lunch. "You go Saeran. You've probably been here all morning. I'll keep the shop open." He nodded at her and headed out the door. As the day progressed she had a harder time focusing and kept finding herself outside. The flowers were probably going to wilt from being watered so much, but MC didn't seem to notice. When the last customer left MC sighed and hurried home. V watched her leave and felt a little disappointed even though he knew he had no reason to be. He locked his shop just as Vanderwood pulled up.

"You ready?" V nodded and got in his car. "Great. I know this awesome bar that just opened up. Apparently it's like a jazz lounge." V raised an eyebrow in curiosity. 

"Sounds interesting. How'd you hear about it?" A glass of wine and some jazz actually sounded fairly good right now.

"You're friend Zen is a singer there apparently. He said it's really exclusive but he'd put us on the list." After hearing that V wasn't surprised. Hyun had many connections in the music industry and was often inviting him to events. The rest of the drive was silent and V's mind began to drift. He tried to keep his mind off of last night but he couldn't. The memory of holding MC so close was still fresh on his mind and he could almost smell her. He was so deep in his memories that he didn't realize the car had stopped until he heard Vanderwood's voice. "Earth to V! You gotta get out so they can park it." Trying to hide his embarrassment V got out of the car and they walked up to the door. "Damn you must be tired. What had you spaced out so much?" V just shrugged as they gave their names to the bouncer.

"Like I said I'm just tired." Despite wanting Vaderwood's advice he was not about to ask for it while sober. His pride wouldn't allow that. "Let's just hurry up and get some drinks." They sat down at the bar and gave their orders. Soon enough they had their drinks and there was music playing. After about three shots, and glass of bourbon, V felt ready enough to talk to Vanderwood. "Hey can I ask you something?" Vanderwood raised an eyebrow but nodded. "What do you think it means when you don't necessarily hate having someone around around?"

"I guess that's what you'd consider a friend." Vanderwood shrugged and took another drink. V shook his head unsatisfied with his answer.

"No this is different. Like I find myself missing them even when they're nearby, and I actually want to help them. Also when I see them get upset I start to feel almost anxious. When they're around it's like something else is controlling me. I don't like it but I also don't want it to stop." Vanderwood watched as V vented his feeling and slammed back another shot. "Do you still consider that a friend?" 

"Depends. Is this person a guy or a chick? And do you notice things you like about them? Like a smile, a habbit, or just something they do for example." V thought over Vanderwoods question and he thought about MC looking at his books.

"She likes to read. We even have the same favorite book." Vanderwood's eye's grew even bigger. 

"So it is a girl. Is it the one you keep drawing? Are you falling for the flower girl?" V gave him a flat look and regretted telling him anything.

"Don't be so ridiculous. I just don't mind having her around. She's smart, hard working, strong, and she doesn't care about my looks or anything like that." V took a sip of his new drink and frowned. Vanderwood began laughing and V kicked him.

"It sounds to me that you like her. You may think that's a bad thing but I don't think it is. Yeah your ex broke your heart but that doesn't mean flower girl will. In fact she might help you forget about that pain." V was surprised to hear Vanderwood sound so serious. It was very unlike him and V couldn't help but be suspicious of him. 

"Even if that were true. I'd doubt she'd be happy with a spiteful asshole like me. I don't even make myself happy." Vanderwood shrugged and looked at his friend. It was obvious what V's feelings were but he thought it would be cheating to give him all the answers. Besides it was amusing to watch V struggle.

"You never know until you try." He turned around to survey the bar and his lips curled into a smile. "You could always start by asking her to dance." He nudged V with his elbow and V turned around. He saw MC standing over by the entrance with Jaehee. V's eyes went wide and he almost choked. She a beaded red dress and had her hair in a low bun. Small silver flowers were pinned in her hair and they almost looked like stars. All the men had eyes on her but she didn't notice as Jaehee pulled her over to a table. On her way across the room she locked eyes with V and seemed surprised. She smiled at him before she got distracted by Jaehee. V turned to the bartender and waved him down. He was going to need a stronger drink if he wanted to dance with her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possible ****TW**** in the chapter for sexual assault and other things in that category. Nothing super graphic or anything but still thought I should put up a warning.

When Jaehee and MC sat down a waiter approached them. They put in their orders and Jaehee noticed that MC seemed to be looking for someone rather frantically. "Everything ok MC?"

"I saw V by the bar when we were walking in but now I can't find him." MC sighed defeated and turned back to her friend. "At least I'm pretty sure I did but now I don't see him."

"Well his hair does make him pretty hard to miss I suppose. Why don't you go the bar and found out?" MC gave her a look and smiled.

"Why? So you can text Saeran?" Jaehee blushed and MC laughed. The waiter brought their drinks and Jaehee immediately took a drink of hers. "If you want to text him I really don't care. I know you miss him. Honestly I don't even know why you guys don't just hook up already." MC shrugged but smiled when Jaehee blushed.

"Actually we kind of already did." MC choked on her drink.

"Excuse me! When? Where? Give me details!!!" MC was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Well it was sort of an accident."

"Yeah right. Did you guys fall on the bed and his dick just accidently slipped in and out of you?" Jaehee's whole face was as red as MC's dress.

"Yes that is exactly what happened. It happened just like that three times." MC's jaw dropped and Jaehee smiled. "It was actually quite amazing. He was so kind and accommodating. He was so good that I lost count of how many times I finished, and that was before he used his dick." MC's jaw was dropped in disbelief.

"I never thought shy little Saeran had such big dick energy. And I never imagined that you were so dirty! I mean three times in one night! You go girl." Jaehee blushed again as MC continued to freak out. "So when was this? Like how long has this been a thing. I mean I always had a feeling that you guys liked each other but I thought it would be years before you guys actually did anything. Let alone fuck!" Jaehee fidgeted in her seat.

"About a week now." Jaehee saw the shock in MC's eyes and knew she had to explain. "Trust me I wanted to tell you but we decided not to tell anyone until we were sure we could make it work."

"Fair enough. Ok tell Saeran to meet us here we need to celebrate!" Jaehee was surprised but happy that MC accepted the news well. "I'm gonna go order some shots!" Jaehee nodded and MC made her way to the bar. Once up there she placed her order for shots and looked around while she waited. Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around and saw Zen. "Oh my god Zen! It's been too long!" She threw her arms around him and he returned her hug.

"Hey. Are you already drunk?" He laughed at her when she rolled her eyes. "By the way that dress is way too revealing. Don't you know all men are wolves." He pinched her cheek and she laughed.

"Yeah yeah. All men are assholes and wolves. We've had this talk before." MC drank the shot that Zen gave her. "Are you here by yourself?" MC shook her head.

"Nope. Jaehee is here and Saeran is probably on his way. They're dating and fucking now!" Zen's eyes went wide and he just laughed. 

"Guess I owe you twenty bucks." MC nodded and Zen smiled at her. "Hey come with me real quick. There's someone I want you to meet." Before she could protest Zen grabbed her wrist and was leading her around the bar. When he slowed down MC saw V and her heart sped up. Zen stopped in front of V and his friend. "Hey V I've got someone I want you to meet." V looked over to Zen and MC was with him. He noticed that Zen was holding her wrist and he suddenly tasted something bitter in his mouth.

"Actually Zen I already know V. Our shops are next door to each other." Zen's eyes went wide as he looked between the two.

"Wait you're the cute flower girl? Man that sucks. And here I was telling Yoosung to ask you out. Now I'm glad he didn't listen to me." MC punched Zen in the arm with anger on her face. "Ow what the hell was that for?"

"For not minding your own business." MC then turned her attention to V and smiled at him. "Oh my gosh V guess what!" She leaned on the bar close to him and her eyes were gleaming with excitement. He smiled at her and decided to just go with it.

"What?" He asked not even hiding his amusement.

"Saeran and Jaehee have been dating for over a week and neither of them told me!" She puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "I mean how can you keep something like that from your roommate and best friend?" V laughed and poked her in the forehead.

"You are drunk." He said taking a drink. Just then the bartender slid a martini over to MC.

"It's from the gentlemen down the bar." He pointed to an older man with slicked back hair. He raised his own drink to her but MC just turned back to V. She picked up the glass and clicked it against V's. Zen also noticed the creepy guy and suddenly had a very bad feeling his stomach.

"See MC I told you that dress was too much. Guys are going to be sending you drinks all night!" MC rolled her eyes and downed the martini. She put the olives in Zen's glass, much to Zen's disapproval, and V couldn't help but smile. 

"That's not my problem. Buying a girl a drink doesn't mean she has to talk to you especially if she's interested in someone else. To me it's just free drinks." V couldn't tell but he could of sworn that MC glanced at him. Vanderwood began to laugh and MC looked confused. She had completely forgotten about him. He was almost as good looking as V but it was obvious that he was more friendly. In fact he was normally the type of guy she'd avoid.

"Oh MC, Zen, this is Vanderwood. He sold me my shop and owns the car garage down the block." MC nodded and smiled at him. Knowing that V trusted him was enough for her to at least be friendly. Plus she was getting pretty drunk. In the time she'd been at the bar she had been sent at least three drinks. 

"Nice to meet you Vanderwood. I'm MC. I might be a little drunk." She held out her hand and he shook it.

"Ditto." He let go of her hand and looked to V. "You're drawings really don't do her justice V. And you call yourself an artist." V kicked him again but Vanderwood moved out of the way. MC laughed at she watched Vanderwood tease V. Then Zen pulled her away a bit.

"Hey I've got to go up on stage soon but I have a question." MC raised an eyebrow. "Do you like V? Like do you have feelings for him.?" MC's eyes went wide and her cheeks got hot.

"Of course not. He's a total ass and I'd die before dating him." Zen sighed and looked relieved.

"Good cause he's very cold to women and I'd hate for you to get hurt." Zen heard the music and smiled. "I gotta go. See you later MC!" He yelled to her. She smiled after him and went back to the bar. 

"So V, you've drawn pictures of me?" V just shot her a look and she smiled. "I'm just asking out of curiosity. I mean you draw the flowers so well but I've never seen you draw people.

"And if I did draw you, would you be mad?" She shook her head and smiled at her hands. "Why not? Most women would find that creepy."

"To be one's muse is the highest form of flattery." The bartender handed her three shots and she gave V one last smile. "I better get back to Jaehee. Feel free to join us if you guys get bored over here." With that she walked away and V watched her go.

"V if you're not in love with her your a fool. I just met her and I'm in love with her." V shot him a look and downed his drink. "Maybe I'll dance with her and ask her out. I mean as long as your cool with that." V didn't know why but hearing Vanderwood say that pissed him off. "I'm gonna take your silence as a green light." V watched as Vaderwood got up and followed the path that MC took. A few moments later the tempo changed, and V saw them both head to the dance floor followed by Jaehee and Saeran. He sat there sipping his drink, trying to drown the feelings nipping at his gut. Vanderwood whispered something in her ear and she rolled her eyes with that smile of hers. V couldn't tell if she was just being polite or if she was actually enjoying whatever he said. Finally tired of watching V stood up and strode over to them. He tapped Vanderwood on the shoulder and they stopped dancing.

"Mind if I cut in Vandy?" V smiled at him but his eyes were icy. Vanderwood let go of MC and shrugged. The surprise on her face was evident as Vaderwood walked away and V held his hand out to her. "Well do you want to dance?" She nodded and took his hand. He pulled her close and they began to move to the music. MC was more than happy to dance with V but there were so many thoughts going through her mind. Everyone told her that V was cold and avoided women, but she had seen a different side of him. She saw how kind he could be and she knew the pain that he carried with him. Something told her that his coldness was all an act and she wanted to know more about him.

"Hey V why did you cut in?" She looked up and him V couldn't even look her in the eyes. He didn't really have a solid answer except that he wanted to.

"I just wanted to. Would you of rather I stayed away?" MC smiled and shook her head.

"No. When I saw you here I was actually hoping I'd get to dance with you?" V gave her a little spin before pulling her back into him.

"And why's that?" She only shrugged and V could swear that she was blushing.

"The more time I spend with you. The more my curiosity grows. I find myself wanting to know more about you because I hear so many conflicting things. Everyone tells me that you're cold but I think that you're more than that." V looked at her eyes and there was a sad shine to them.

"You sound like a girl whose falling in love. I thought you said you'd never do that." MC felt a lump in her throat when he said that.

"And if I am? Would it really be that bad?" The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. The only thing she could do now was try and hold his gaze until he answered.

"I honestly don't know." He paused and tried to search for the right words. With every second that passed he saw her face turn more sad. "MC I," The music stopped and she stepped away from him.

"It's ok. I'm obviously very drunk right now. So just forget I said anything." She smiled at him but her eyes looked on the verge of tears. "Thanks for the dance V it was a lot of fun." As she made her way off the dance floor V felt even more angry and confused. When MC got back to the booth she found Jaehee and Saeran sitting rather close. She stopped to compose herself before approaching them. "Hey Jaehee I think I'm gonna clear out. I've had a bit too much to drink." She gave off a laugh while Jaehee looked concerned.

"Are you sure? I was going to go over to Saeran's place after this but I can come back to the apartment with you if you want." MC picked up another shot from the table and downed it. Using it to suppress the feelings inside of her she smiled at the two again.

"Nah it's ok. I've got my key and I'm gonna have the bartender call me a cab. You guys have fun. I'm really happy for you two." She gave them one last smile before turning around. Not long after she left the bar V came up to them.

"Hey is MC still around? There was something I wanted to ask her but I can't find her."

"You just missed her. She said that she was going to get a cab and head home. You might still be able to catch her outside." Saeran pointed toward the door and V nodded. 

"Thanks." He turned to leave but Saeran stopped him.

"Hey V." He turned back around. "You know you're going to have to make a choice soon right? Someone's going to get hurt if you guys don't start being honest." He wanted to tell him that it was too late for that but something held him back.

"I'm not sure what you mean, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again." This time V left to go find MC. He just hoped he hadn't missed her. The MC cab was taking forever and she could feel tears filling her eyes. The wait seemed so long that it was starting to feel like someone was watching her. She kept telling herself that it was just all the alcohol making her paranoid but her gut said otherwise. Out of nowhere the man who sent her a drink earlier appeared beside her.

"Hello. Did you have a good time tonight?" The man was standing a bit too close to her and she took a step back.

"I did." She said warily as he stepped after her.

"That's good. Well you are very beautiful. My name is Max, what's yours?" She took another step away from only to be followed by Max. If this kept up she'd be trapped in the alley.

"I'm Lucy." She gave him a fake name and he just frowned.

"I could of sworn someone called you MC though." The creep factor was now through the roof. "Is that a nickname or something."

"It's hardly any of your business. Now could you just please leave me alone? It's been a long night and I'm just waiting on my cab." She tried to push past him but he grabbed her hand.

"Ya know I kinda thought I'd least get to talk to you after sending you a drink. The least you could is talk to me for a bit now. I just want to be your friend." MC tried to pull her hand free but he was too strong. Max pushed her into the wall and she felt a throbbing on her head. He leaned in so close that she could feel his breath on her. MC tried pushing him away but her arms felt week. "That dress really does look great on you. I can't help but imagine what's underneath." Max rested a hand on her shoulder and she shuddered. "You brought this on yourself ya know. Ignoring every guy that came your way. It's obvious that you want this." His breath was right in her ear and it made her feel sick.

"Get off of me you jackass!" This time MC pushed with all of her might and was able to get past him. She didn't get very far before she ran into someone else. She looked up through her blurry eyes and saw familiar blue hair. "V?" She could barely whisper his name as she wrapped her arms around him.

"MC? Is everything ok?" Max was now only standing a few feet away and MC moved behind V.

"Everything is fine buddy. Just mind her business. We were just becoming friends." Max just shrugged and fixed his hair.

"I don't think she's sees it that way. Why don't you just scram before you piss me off even more." V's eyes were filled with rage and if MC wasn't behind him then he probably would of beaten this guy to a pulp. Max knew that he was no match for V so he ran off like the coward he was. Now V turned around and looked at MC. "Are you ok? He didn't hurt you or anything did he?" He leaned down and held her face in his hands. She shook her head but then winced. He sighed and moved his hands on her shoulders. "Don't lie to me ok. Now, are you hurt?" MC looked at him reluctantly and pointed to her head.

"I hit my head when he pushed me into the wall. It's not bleeding though so it's probably just a knot. I'll be ok." MC saw her cab pull up felt relieved. "There's my cab. I'll see you tomorrow V." She really didn't want to be alone after that happened but she figured it was for the best. V noticed that she was still shaking and this nagging feeling in him didn't want her to leave like that.

"Hey do you mind if I share it with you? Vanderwood found a hookup so I lost my ride home." MC couldn't help but smile at him as she nodded. The cab ride was silent as was the walk to their apartments. V noticed that even after getting home she was still shaking so he called to her. "Hey MC. If you don't want to be alone tonight all you have to do is say so. I can stay with you at your place if you want this time." He walked down the hallway until he was right in front of her. "I meant what I said about helping you last night." V had that soft look in his eyes again and MC felt as if she was melting. 

"Thank you V. I really didn't want to be alone." She smiled at him and this time it seemed more genuine. MC opened the door and let V in. "I'm going to go change. Are you going to be comfortable in those clothes?" V frowned not thinking about his clothes.

"Crap. I'm going to run to my place and change. I promise I'll be back." MC nodded and watched him leave. She went to her room and swapped her dress for a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt. Just as she finished taking off her makeup she heard the door open and close. MC tensed until she heard V's voice. "I'm back." She exited the bathroom and and saw the V was wearing his glasses with the chain, grey sweatpants, and a black tank top. As she got closer she noticed that V had something tattooed on his chest. She had seen the ones on his wrist and forearm but not this one. V noticed her staring could tell she was trying to figure something out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just never knew you had another tattoo. What is it?" He was a bit surprised that she was so curious. She never really seemed interested in tattoos. He pulled his tank top over head and revealed the whole tattoo. MC could now see that was a heart with two daffodils running through it. She got closer and noticed that was in a watercolor style that made it looked smeared. Without thinking MC reached out and touched it. She let her fingers moved down the flowers and she moved the dog tag he was wearing. Her fingers rested on the heart and she understood the meaning of it all too well. "A reminder of your new beginning?" V only nodded. He had never let anyone get this close before and he was unsure of what to do.

"Yeah." MC noticed the other tattoo on his collar bone that said bad lover.

"Yet you don't want to let go of your past. No wonder you're so grumpy all the time." V rolled his eyes and moved over the the couch to sit down. He pulled the grey blanket off the back of it and draped it around him. MC took a spot next to him and bit her lip. "You've helped me a lot so I want to help you too. If you want to talk about anything I'll listen. At least I hope you'll talk to me as a friend." The word felt bitter in her mouth and she hoped V didn't notice. V just stared at her and blinked.

"You really are something aren't you. I try so hard to push you away, or make you hate me, but you just brush it off. You're also loud and frantic most of the time, but I like having you around." MC honestly wasn't sure what was happening but V looked like he was trying to reach a point. "You're clumsy and talk a lot of shit for someone so small. When I'm with you I get half annoyed and half happy but I for the life of me can't decide on why." V finally looked at her and could tell that she was confused. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You asked me earlier if falling in love with me would be a bad thing, and yeah it probably would. Because I'm not good enough for you. Someone like Hyun would be better suited for you." MC began to laugh and V was confused.

"I'm sorry for laughing. I really am. Me falling in love with Zen is never going to happen. Zen is my half brother." V's jaw dropped and now he was so confused. "Years back my dad slept with his mom and she got pregnant. I didn't know though until he reached out to me about four years ago. He's part of the reason I moved here in the first place." V felt like a weight was off his chest. When he watched them talking earlier he thought for sure that he'd lose her to Hyun. "And V, I don't think falling in love with you would be so bad. Despite you being an ass I know that there's more to you. We're a lot similar and I think that's why are feelings are so confused. Being drunk also doesn't help." She laughed a little and V only smiled and shook his head at her.

"You really are a stupid girl." That was the last straw for her. 

"Ugh! You're unbelievable sometimes. I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with you and all you did was call me stupid! Can't you just for once not be an ass and be honest?" V grabbed her chin and put his thumb on her lips. She went silent with surprise as he smiled at her.

"Loud as always and you didn't let me finish. I called you stupid because only an idiot would love me when I've been such an ass to them. Yet hearing that makes me beyond happy. Do you remember what I said to you this morning when I let you fall off the couch?" MC nodded. "So you know what it means right?" Her eyes went wide and she smiled under V's thumb. He moved his hand off chin and put in her hair. "Are you sure I'm what you want?" MC was still shocked and all she could do was nodd. Satisfied with her answer V pulled her into him and kissed her with every confused emotion he had in him. He was probably going to lose her like he lost everyone else he loved but he had her right now and that's all he wanted to focus on. MC put her hands in V's hair and pressed herself up against him. She knew that V could change his mind at anytime but she continued to kiss him hoping that he didn't. When they finally pulled apart both of them were panting. "You still sure about that? You look pretty worn out already." MC rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

"Just shut up and kiss me you ass." V only smiled at her and began to kiss her neck. She shivered against him and that only encouraged him to go lower. He stopped at her sternum and glanced up at her. MC met his gaze and wondered why he stopped. "What's wrong?" Her voice was only a whisper, but V could hear all the affection and fear in it.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to keep going." V tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and caressed her arm. "I mean I'm all for having you right here and now but I'll wait if you want me to." MC blushed at his words but she was also touched that he was thinking of her instead of her. However she never had any intention of stopping V. To prove it she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the ground. V's eyes went wide at her action and his cheeks blushed at the sight. MC had on a black laced bra that was completely see through.

"If you want me then take me." No sooner had the words left her lips was V pulling her in for another kiss. This time his hands made their way up to her breast and she moaned against him. V planted kisses down her neck, slowly moving her bra straps out of the way. MC hummed in pleasure and began to move her hips against him. He kissed down her throat and buried his face in her chest. A giggle escaped MC's mouth and V delighted in it. His fingers fluttered against her stomach and she laughed again. V had never heard her laugh like this and suddenly it was all he wanted to hear. He continued to tickle her and she tried to get away from him. "V! Stop!" She said in between laughs. "That tickles!" He had her pinned on the couch at his mercy and smiled at her.

"That's the idea doll." He said in her ear before tickling her again. Tears spilled from her eyes as she laughed. When he finally did stop MC was panting but the smile on her face was beyond shining. "Sorry for the detour but that was just too fun to ignore." V leaned back down kissed her face where tears had fallen, before getting to her lips. They were both so lost in the kiss that neither one heard the door opening until Zen's voice was practically screaming.

"What the hell is going on?!" Both of them shot up and Zen blushed when he saw that MC wasn't wearing a shirt. "MC where the hell is your shirt!" MC's face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. She got up and shoved Zen out the door.

"Zen you are the biggest idiot on the planet! Who just walks into an apartment without knocking?" Zen tried to rebuttal but couldn't focus because she still only had a bra on. He took off his jacket and threw it at her. She let it hit the floor and crossed her arms. "Seriously why are you here?"

"Jaehee told me you went home by yourself so I thought I'd be a good brother and check on you. It never crossed my mind that you'd be fucking V!" MC rolled her eyes. "Like seriously what the hell happened? You said you had no interest in him like four hours ago. Are you both that drunk?"

"No!" MC blushed but she knew this wasn't just them being drunk. "I think this has been building for a while now." She sighed and looked at Zen. "I'll talk to you more about it later. For now please just leave. I love you but god you're such a mom." She went back inside and locked the door. When she looked at V he was sitting on couch and his eyes were half closed. She sat back down and grabbed his hand. V smiled at her warmth and smiled. "Sorry about that. Zen means well but his timing is awful. You look tired. Should we just call it a night?" V only shrugged. He was tired but sleep made him feel anxious.

"Probably not a terrible idea. Are you tired?" MC could tell that her body was tired but her brain was racked with anxiety.

"Yes and no. Right now the idea of sleeping scares me." V pulled her into his chest and began stroking her hair. 

"I'm guessing you're worried about what will happen after we wake up?" MC was surprised that V had figured it out.

"Yeah. Are you thinking the same thing?" The idea that V wouldn't be there when she woke up was heartbreaking to say the least. Neither of them couldn't remember the last time they were close to someone like this and they didn't want them being totally sober to ruin it. 

"Yeah, and part of me wants to tell you that it's going to be ok, but,"

"But you've been an asshole for so long that you don't know how to handle your feelings?" V poked her side and she laughed a little. "Sorry. I just kind of feel the same way. I mean I want to at least try because I think you're worth it, but it's been three years since I've loved anyone. I'm scared I'll mess it up." V understood exactly how she felt. Before now he had only ever loved two people in his life and he lost them both. He didn't know if he could handle a third time.

"It probably won't be easy. We're very different and yet the same, but if it's you then I want to try." V's words were honest but they still surprised him. He never imagined that he would ever feel like this but it was different than with Rika. These feelings of love were more electric and he could feel them in his bones. MC felt a bit more at peace to hear him say that and she relaxed. "Let's go ahead and get some sleep. We can talk more about it tomorrow." MC nodded against his chest and moved to get up but V stopped here. "Where are you going?" MC smiled at how worried he sounded.

"To my bedroom. Unless you really want to sleep on the couch." V just shrugged but didn't move to let her up.

"I don't care where we sleep." His voice was laced with sleep and MC couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I'm sleeping in my bed cause this couch really sucks. You're welcome to join me." He let her up and she waited for him to see what he was going to do. After a few seconds V found the energy to get up and she grabbed his hand. Once they were in her bedroom V noticed that she still wasn't wearing a shirt and he blushed.

"Ya know if keep walking around like this neither of us will be sleeping." He hugged her from behind and she shivered from his hands on her bare midriff. She normally slept like this so it didn't even occur to her to put on another shirt. 

"Well that's going to cause a problem cause I always sleep like this." V tightened his grip around her waist and a low growl escaped him. 

"Then you've brought this on on yourself." Before she could ask what he meant V had them both on the bed, and was showering her body with kisses. V was going to curse himself in the morning but right now all he cared about was her. He wanted to make sure that even if she did leave him she would always remember him. So with that in mind he unlocked all his feelings in hopes that MC could handle it. They both had their storms but somehow knowing this gave them both hope.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut this chapter in half cause it was way, way, way, too long. so that's why the end is a little abrupt.

The next morning V woke up to the smell of flowers and had a slight pain in his head. He took a deep breath and felt MC's warmth next to him. When he opened his eyes she was still asleep and he couldn't help but stare at her. Normally her face had a resting bitch look to it, but V could see now that it was all her doing. Right now her features were relaxed and V thought she actually looked more appealing like this. He moved her hair out of her face and a small smile appeared as she stirred. V realized that he could watch this forever. Feeling like someone was watching her MC slowly opened her eyes and found V smiling at her. The fact that he was still in bed with her made her eyes go wide with shock. V laughed at her expression and grabbed her hand. "What's with that look doll? Did you forget about last night already?" He kissed her hand and she blushed. "Maybe you need a reminder." Her face was bright red now and V thought it was adorable. Until last night he had never really paid attention to her appearance. It was more her personality that captivated him, but right now he couldn't help but notice all the adorable things she did.

"Oh trust me I remember. I'm just happy that you're still here." Her words hit him like a ton of bricks when he realized what she meant. He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

"Of course I am. I meant everything I said last night. I may be an asshole but I'm no liar." She smiled against his chest and he began to stroke her hair. They fell back into silence and MC almost fell back asleep until V spoke. "So what do we do now?" His question caught her a bit off guard.

"Well if we cared about being responsible we'd go to work, but I'm not even sure if I can walk right now." V laughed and she felt it vibrate in his chest.

"I can't be that good. Are you sure you're not just hungover?" MC shook her head and propped herself up on his chest.

"I mean I'm not super experienced but last night was pretty fucking amazing. I never even knew it was possible to cum so many times. I have never had sex like that in my life." V couldn't help but be happy to hear that. It was equally good for him. He never knew that sex could be so enjoyable with someone. Rika always treated it like a chore so they never did it often. "In answer to your question though I'm not sure. I mean logic tells me that we should go slow and learn more about each other."

"Ok well how do you suggest we do that? I mean I've told you more about me than anyone else and you're the first person I've slept with in forever." MC bit her lip and debated if she should say it. V could tell she wanted to say something and the fact that she wouldn't say it made him anxious. "If you have an idea I'm all ears." Seeing the resolution in his eyes gave her some courage.

"Well there's still a lot I don't know about you. Like what where you went to school, where you grew up, ya know stuff like that. I mean it doesn't have to be all at once, but that's stuff you're supposed to learn when you love someone right?" V thought about what she said and it made sense. 

"Yeah I guess you're right but that might be easier said than done. I don't like talking about myself even in the best of occasions." A strange look flashed in her eyes and V wasn't sure if it was disappointment or something else. As much as he hated talking about himself he was curious about her now too. He sighed and held her chin between his thumb and index finger. "You said we should go slow, so for now I'll answer two questions. Then I get to ask two questions." A smile spread across her face and she nodded. As she was thinking sat up on the bed and held MC in front of him.

"Ok this is my first question. What was your childhood like?" V was kinda surprised that was her first question.

"It was lonely. My father and mother were seperated and I didn't get so see my mom very much. When my father was home all he did was lecture me. I would pass the time taking pictures or playing with my neighbor. Other than that I went to school and stuff just like a normal kid." His story made MC want to ask more questions but she had to choose her next question carefully.

"That sounds sad. I wish I could of been your friend back then." V just shrugged and waited for her next question. "What's your real name?" V smiled at her question and was secretly hoping she'd ask that.

"It's Jihyun Kim." MC kinda tensed up at his name and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you not like it?" V's heart hurt at the idea that she didn't like his name but then again neither did he.

"Jihyun Kim." Hearing her say his name made his heart thump. "No I really like it. Why do you go by V?" V only chuckled at her question and kissed her hand.

"Sorry little lady but you're out of questions. Now it's my turn." He couldn't see her face but he knew that she was pouting. "Ok question one, why a flower shop?" 

"It's something I always wanted to do but kept putting off. When I was little I spent a lot of time with my grandma and she taught me about flowers and what they mean. Where words fail flowers thrive. That's what she always told me." V pictured a small MC running around a garden and he thought it suited her.

"She seems like a smart woman." MC's chest ached a bit at V's words. 

"She really was." Her voice quivered a bit and V now understood. He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. Even though he didn't say MC knew he understood. "It's ok. She passed a long time ago. It's just been a while since I've talked about her." MC could feel the air growing heavy and it was the opposite of what she wanted. "So what's your next question?" V had totally forgotten what his second question was going to be and panicked.

"What do you think of tattoos?" MC turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really? That's what you want your second question to be?" He rolled his eyes and poked her forhead.

"No I just forgot what I wanted to ask and panicked." MC giggled and leaned in to kiss him. She rested her hand on his chest tattoo and V put his hand in her hair. When she pulled back V felt much more at ease and she smiled at him. "What was that for?" He wasn't trying to complain but to him it seemed really random. MC just smiled and held his hand.

"To remind you that we have time. I honestly don't care how many questions you ask me because I want you to know everything about me. I'm rather boring though so you'll probably be disappointed with my answers. I mean the really only exciting thing about me is the story about my ex. I mean even my hair and eyes are boring." V felt sad that she would say such things about herself. He pulled her into his chest and rolled over so that he was on top of her.

"You're too loud to be boring." She pouted underneath him. "As for your hair it reminds me of chocolate and the sun seems to get trapped in it. Some of the strands even look gold from time to time. And your eyes could never be boring. They were the first thing I noticed about you. No matter what's going on around you they have a shine to them. I spent a good part of my life taking pictures of the sun and I see more light in you than I ever did in the sun." MC was blushing at his words. She never expected V to be so smooth and she was actually speechless. "What's this? The little lady is actually quiet?" She rolled her eyes and was about to say something when there was a knock on her door.

"MC? Are you awake? It's Jaehee." V and MC both shared a look of surprise. Both of them had forgotten about MC's roomate and MC was panicking.

"Yep. Been up for hours." She wasn't lying but that's what she said when she planned on sleeping more. When Jaehee laughed MC knew she bought it.

"Ok I wanted to talk to you though before I go to work. Can I come in?" MC scrambled out from under V and gave her a questioning look.

"I'm coming. My room is a mess and you'll just nag me if you come in." MC pulled a long shirt over her head and leaned in to give V another kiss. "I don't want her to know about us just yet. She hid her boyfriend from me so I'm getting even." Her voice was hushed as she whispered in his ear. Now that he understood the anxiety in his chest disappeared. He smiled at her and lightly slapped her butt as she walked away. Once she slipped out the door V could hear her talking on the other side of it. He got up and put his pants on and decided to look around the room. The walls were light grey color and went well the the teal accents in her room. He noticed that the room was still fairly dark and he wondered if it was her curtains. She had a desk that was littered with envelopes, various notes about flowers, and crude sketches of arrangements that were labeled. V could tell how much she cared about her work then he saw the drawing he gave her. It was inside of a frame on the nightstand. He wasn't sure how he missed it but he did. He also saw a picture of an older woman next to it and he figured it was her grandma. Her room was a lot different than his. She didn't try to hide who she was in her room. It was as loud as she was. "You about done snooping?" MC put her arms around his waist and rested against his back. V put the picture down but didn't say anything. MC was beginning to think that maybe he was mad at her for what just happened. "Are you mad at me for not telling Jaehee you were here?" V turned around and kissed her forehead.

"A little bit but then you explained why. For a moment I thought that maybe you were ashamed or something." It felt so weird to openly express his emotions but it was a good weird. MC put her hands on V's face so that he would look at her.

"I'd never be ashamed of you. I'm purposely not telling her out of spite, because I'm that petty. It did get me thinking about something though." V raised an eyebrow at her and she bit her lip. "Well we both agreed that we're a bit out of our wheelhouse right?" V nodded trying to see where she was taking this. "It just got me thinking that maybe until we get more used to this we not tell everyone. I mean I'm not very open with people to begin with so I'm in no rush to start now. To be perfectly honest I'd be more than happy getting a cabin with you in the woods and living there." V laughed a little and kissed her to silence her rambling. It was now obvious that she rambled when she was nervous.

"I get what you're saying and I agree. I'm ok with it until we get the hang of it. I have some conditions though." MC gave him a curious look and V just tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled. "First I don't ever want to sleep without you again. I've never slept so good in my life." MC blushed but nodded. "Second you really have got to stop wearing dresses like the one last night. Unless you're with me of course." MC rolled her eyes but V was serious. "I mean it. I know it sounds controlling but I just don't want anything like last night to ever happen again. I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I hadn't been there." MC's face fell flat as she recalled what happened in the alley. She could see the anger and worry on V's face.

"I know but I promise it won't ever happen again. Last night only happened because I let my guard down. Seeing you caught me off guard and then watching Jaehee and Saeran, and dancing with you sent me over the edge. I normally never go home by myself so really it's my fault." The fact that she blamed herself made him feel bad. V pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"It's not your fault. It's never your fault and I'm sorry for making you think that. To be honest I actually liked that dress and I definitely plan on having you wear it again. I'm just gonna have to make sure everyone knows you're mine now." MC was blushing but it made her happy to hear. V pulled away from her and he was giving her a sly smile. When he saw her blush he couldn't resist kissing her. After he pulled away MC noticed that he looked sad.

"What's wrong?" He let out a heavy sigh and MC grew anxious.

"Nothing. Just annoyed that I have to leave." Hearing him say that made her feel heavy also. V noticed her frown and he was glad she at least felt the same way. "I know but I have a clients today and the sooner I get them done the sooner the sooner I get back to you." His thumb brushed over her lip. "Are you going to open your shop today?" Until he said that MC had completely forgotten that she had a shop.

"I mean yeah. Jaehee said that Saeran already opened it so I'll send him home as soon as I get there." She broke away from V as she moved over to her dresser and pulled out her work clothes. V walked over and kissed her temple. 

"Alright well hurry up and get dressed. We might as well ride together." MC nodded and smiled at him before he went out the door. He picked his shirt and managed to find his phone. He had tons of notifications from Zen and Yoosung. On his way back to his apartment he called Hyun back because he figured that was most important. It barely even rang once before he picked up.

"About damn time V. What the hell is going on?" Zen sounded frantic.

"I mean you should be able to figure that much out." V already regretted calling him instead of texting. "Come to the shop when you can and I'll talk to you there. Deal?" Zen let out a hefty sigh. V really wasn't giving him any other choice.

"Fine. You better not bail because I have a bone to pick with you." V rolled his eyes and unlocked his door.

"Yeah, yeah. Talk to you later Hyun." V hung up the phone and changed his clothes. Soon there was a knock on his door and opened it to find MC. She was wearing her khakis and a blue flannel shirt. He pulled her into him and gave her a long kiss. She giggled and gently pulled away from him. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded and he smiled. "After you doll." He locked the door behind them and they headed out. As V watched her walk to her shop he couldn't help but feel bitter. He knew that she was right next door but he hated that he couldn't see her. When he got inside Yoosung was trying to lecture him. Something about how he'd basically been running things and wanted a promotion. "Fine whatever. Your internship is over. Now will you shut up?" Yoosung was surprised. He thought that V was hungover and in a bad mood but now he seemed happy. Yoosung planed to ask him about it but their client had walked in the door. When Yoosung saw that it was a woman he knew this would probably kill V's good mood. V greeted the woman and wasn't surprised when she started flirting with him. However he just ignored it all and did his work. About half way through the session Zen showed up and Yoosung was confused.

"Hey Zen! Are you planning on another tattoo already? Zen shook his head and Yoosung could tell he was tired.

"No I've got to talk to V about something important. I'll wait in your office V." V only nodded and Yoosung was even more confused.

"What does Zen have to talk to you about?" 

"Family issues." V said without even looking up. It wasn't really a lie but Yoosung didn't need to know everything. "I can finish up here Yoosung. Go ahead and head home. Celebrate your promotion." Yoosung couldn't help but pout. He wanted to know what the big secret was and was mad that V never told him anything.

"Fine but don't forget to check the book. I'm not opening again tomorrow and we have early clients." Yoosung got up and and soon headed home. Once V had finished up with his client he saw her out the door and locked it. He went to the door and found a very antsy Zen. 

“About damn time.” He said finally relaxing a bit.

“Sorry. The tattoo she wanted was bigger than we originally planned. Now what’s eating you?” Zen looked at him and completely deadpanned.

“I want to talk about what I walked in on last night. Just what are your intentions with MC?” Zen had a lot of respect for V but he wouldn’t tolerate him hurting his sister.

“Well there’s no point in lying to you since you saw us. I’m dating your sister now.” Zen wasn’t sure what part of V’s statement surprised him more.

“But you hate women? And how did you know she’s my sister?” Zen could barely keep his mouth closed. Not even Jaehee knew about that.

“She told me last night. And yeah I do hate women but MC is different. Since I met her she never once tried to flirt with me or anything. She’s different than any other woman I’ve ever met. After the night in the elevator I felt a pull to her.” V paused and tried to collect himself. These emotions were new to him. Zen listened although still shell shocked. Zen had so many questions he didn’t even know where to start.

“You said after the night in the elevator. What does that mean?”

“Oh. A few nights ago we got stuck in the elevator. We shared stories about our ex’s and made a business deal.” V thought back to those nights and remembered the storms. Zen was still lost but doing his best to follow.

“Ok but what happened between the elevator last night? I mean you don’t just do random hook ups.”

“The storms. After the elevator she stayed at my place while it stormed and that’s when I realized how much I cared about her. I think.” Zen still couldn’t believe that the person in front of him was V. He was talking about his feelings so freely and it was strange.

“Why was she at your place when it stormed?” His question made V realize that Zen didn’t know about her fear of thunder.

“She’s gonna kick my ass for telling you, but she’s terrified of thunder.” Zen sat on the edge of V's desk is shock again. “So I take it you don’t know?” Zen shook his head and sighed. "Look I know you're worried about her but we both know she's going as she pleases." Zen knew that V was right but that didn't shake this bad feeling in his chest.

"I know, so just answer one question. Are you serious about her? Cause I swear to god if you hurt her V I'll kick your ass." V nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He knew very well that Zen meant his threat and wouldn't hesitate to fight him.

"I am serious about her so I have no intention of hurting her." Zen could tell that he was hesitating.

"But?" The word hung there for a moment before V answered.

"These feeling are new to both of us, so as much as I want to promise that I won't hurt her I can't. We've both got shitty backstories, and trauma to spare. Both of us are rather closed off people so fights are bound to happen, hell we already had one this morning in a way, but we promised to try." V actually felt a little relieved to talk about all of this even if Zen was glaring at him the whole time. Zen's face softened and he sighed. This was the first time he ever doubted V, but something about all of this just gave him a bad feeling.

"Does anyone else know about you two?" Zen's question was filled with dread. He hated secrets.

"No and for now we want to keep it that way. Just until we figure things out, so please don't say anything." Zen let out another sigh and got up off the desk.

"Fine but only because you actually said please." He moved to the door to leave but paused. "And thanks for being honest with me V. I've still got my eye on you though so don't go screwing around." V smiled and followed him out.

"Well there go my evening plans with MC tonight." Zen's face turned bright red and he puched V in the arm.

"What the hell man? That's my sister you asshole!" V just shrugged and ignored the pain on his arm. He unlocked the door and Zen left. MC saw him leaving the shop and felt her stomach drop. She walked over and dragged him away. V only watched clearly amused as she flashed him a smile. "Ow MC calm down. Why are you so pissed off?" They were inside the flower shop and she was livid.

"I'm pissed off cause I find it hard to believe you were planning another tattoo. So what did you say to V?" 

"Nothing! I just asked him what the hell I walked in on last night." Zen sighed and took a moment to collect himself. "Look I'm worried about you so I decided to talk to V myself." MC pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"What did he say?" Zen just shrugged and played with the stems that she was cutting.

"He told me about the elevator, the storms, and that you guys are a thing now." Zen hit her on the head with the stem. "By the way. How come you never told me you were so afraid of thunder? Is that why you would always just hide in your room when you lived with me?" MC nodded and Zen suddenly felt like a terrible brother. "I'm sorry MC. I should of been a better brother."

"It's alright Zen. It only happened a couple of times when I lived with you. Plus Jaehee only knows because of that time I got sick and she's the one who told V. Trust me I'd rather no one knew about it. It makes me feel so weak and it's the only thing I can't change." Zen could see that her hands were slightly shaking. He stood up and poked her in the forehead.

"Alright. I have to go meet my director but if you need to talk or something just let me know. I'm never too busy for you." MC smiled and nodded at him. She watched him walk away and then went back to her flowers. A while later she heard the door open and saw it was V. Her smile was infectious and he couldn't help but return it.

"Hey. I was just about to head home. Are you ready?" Her smile turned into a frown as she looked at the flowers in front of her.

"I wish I could but I'm so behind on orders a lot of them go out tomorrow. I'm gonna have to stay here late and finish them. I'm sorry." Before she could even finish her sentence the door closed and V was gone. She kind of expected it but was still a little disappointed. Letting out a heavy sigh she went back to her work. After finishing an arrangement of roses and sunflowers MC went to go lock the door and turn off her sign. As soon as she was about to lock V was trying to open it. Confused she let him in and locked the door behind him. "I thought you left?" She said as V put the bags he was carrying on the counter. He turned around to face her and instantly pulled her into him. Her smell was stronger than all the flowers in the shop and he couldn't get enough of it.

"I did. I left to go get my notebook and grab dinner." He pointed to the bags on the counter and MC was surprised. "What did you think I just left you here?" Her cheeks blushed and V pinched her nose. "Silly girl. Come on let's eat." He grabbed her hand and guided her over to the counter. "I would of been back with it sooner but they were so fucking busy." MC looked at the take out containers and was surprised. They were from her favorite restaurant and V had even gotten her favorite order. 

"Thank you Jihyun." V shuddered when she used his name but he didn't entirely mind it. MC meant it in a teasing way but it actually felt nice to say it. It was like a secret that only she knew and it made her feel special. They ate their food with pleasant small talk in between and then MC went back to work.


	8. Chapter 8

When the morning came MC realized they were on the couch in the back of the shop. She was laying on top of V and he looked so a peace. She carefully began to get up when V's eyes snapped open. He pulled her back on top of him and sighed. "And just where does the little lady think she's going?" His features still looked sleepy but there was a sharpness to his eyes.

"Sadly work. Remember the early orders I stayed up all night making? Saeran will be here in like an hour, if not sooner, to pick them up. And didn't you have early clients today?" V shrugged and started to stroke her hair. "Jiiihyun. I have to get up." V humed when she drew out his name like that.

"Same my name like that again and I won't be responsible for what happens next." As if to give her a warning she felt his hand slide down to her butt and grab it. Using that as an opening MC slid off the couch and V frowned. "That was mean." She giggled and rolled her eyes as V sat up.

"Sorry but I have to get everything ready and you have clients." He walked over to her and pinned her against the desk. "Come on V. I'm serious." She tried pushing him away but he just leaned in closer. He nuzzled into her neck and bit it playfully. This time she pushed him away with more force and smiled at him. "Tell you what. Tomorrow is the day that I don't open the shop so I'm all yours when you get done at work." Sighing in defeat V backed up a bit. "I know but I promise we'll have tomorrow." V kissed her forehead and moved out of her way. She went over to desk the pulled out a stack of cards and opened the book that was on the desk. MC could feel V watching her and she saw a curious look on his face. "What?" There was a blush on her cheeks from being watched.

"I just like watching you work. What are all those for?" He pointed to the stack of cards.

"Oh these? I put them with the arrangements so that they know who it's from. I also put whatever note the client wants with it. Usually it's something cheesy but it's the thought that counts right." V saw the smile on her face when she said it but her eyes looked sad.

"I take it you like cheesy stuff?" She just shrugged and gave him a teasing smile.

"Every girl loves cheesy in moderation. I find that when the affection is warranted anything can be romantic. Say like keeping your girlfriend company while she works all night." V rolled his eyes at her.

"You're weird if you call that romantic." MC raised an eyebrow at him and leaned back in her chair.

"Really? Then what would you call romance? Mister dark and brooding tattoo artist." V walked over and sat on the edge of the desk. He had a hand on his chin and seemed to be thinking. When he finally looked at MC he had almost a hunger in his eyes, and his smile was mischievous.

"Well to start, you in that dress having dinner with me. Then dessert in bed. I'm thinking strawberries with whipped cream. Maybe some melted chocolate for you." What he was describing sounded like something out of movie but the chocolate had her confused.

"Why do I get melted," before she could finish her sentence V grabbed her hand and lightly licked her wrist. Suddenly it clicked in her brain and her face turned bright red. "Oh for that." V smiled at her and he seemed almost excited. "Well that does sound like quite an evening. The real question is can you actually deliver on it?" Going back to her work she tried to hide how flustered she was. V noticed this and leaned in on the chair to nibble at her ear. "V stop." She giggled as his breath tickled her neck. "I told you we can't do this here." As if on cue they heard the door to the shop open and Saeran talking. When Saeran opened the office door he found MC and V looking at the computer.

"Oh MC. I didn't know you were already here. What are you guys doing?" He raised an eyebrow clearly suspicious of how close they were.

"We're trying to figure out how to do these stupid cards but V keeps shooting down all my suggestions." V shot her a look but could tell that she felt bad. "Oh and I got all the orders done so you can probably get all them delivered today." Saeran's eyes went wide and looked at the clipboard in his hands.

"Seriously? You did all sixty of them? How are you even still awake?" Before MC could answer V interrupted.

"I'll email you more pictures later. See ya." He left the office and Saeran was frowning.

"Man he's so grumpy in the mornings. How can you even handle working with him?" MC shrugged and finally started writing the cards.

"Simple. He's talented but doesn't hit on me." The last part was a flat out lie but she wasn't about to admit that, yet. "He may be an ass but this is business. I don't like sending flowers for cheating men but I do because it's business." Seeing her point Saeran dropped the issue.

"Alright. Well I'll get started on the deliveries. You should head home and get some sleep." MC shook her head and smiled at him.

"I'm good. I got some sleep on the couch. Plus we're closed tomorrow so I'll just rest then." Saeran nodded left the office. Once he was gone MC pulled out her phone and sent a text to V. She felt awful for throwing him under the bus like that but she panicked. When V read the text he just rolled his eyes and smiled. He really did want to do something nice for her but he wasn't really sure what to do. The question never left his mind as he worked on a geometric fox tattoo.

"Hey Yoosung." The blonde perked up at hearing his name. "What normally classifies as a date?" Now Yoosung was just confused. V asking about dates was surely a sign of the world ending.

"Um depends on the people. Why?" V only shrugged while he continued working. Yoosung couldn't tell but he almost thought V was blushing. "Do you have a date or something?" Yoosung was bubbling with excitement and V already regretted everything.

"Just answer my question." Yoosung pouted at V for not giving a straight answer.

"Well normally dinner and a movie, or a picnic. Just stuff like that. My mom always told me that the dates didn't matter if you both have strong feelings. Her first date with my dad was just them sitting in a car eating fries and listening to music. She said that it was the best night of her life." V thought over what he said and he actually understood it. "So who's the poor girl that you're taking out?" V shot him a look from over the client and Yoosung just shrugged. "You can't just ask me for dating advice and expect me to not ask question. I bet Ryan agrees with me too." The client, Ryan, tried his best not to laugh.

"I was trying to stay out of it since V has a needle in my back but he has a point. Thought you didn't date anyway?" V pressed harder on the tattoo gun and Ryan flinched. "Forget I asked. I'm staying out of it." With that the subject died and V finished the tattoo. The rest of his clients were either walk ins, or meetings to talk about future tattoos. Before he knew it Yoosung was cleaning up and V almost felt excited. His phone began to ring and Yoosung noticed how he practically jumped on it. Seeing that it was MC calling he went in his office and closed the door.

"Hey. Is everything ok?" MC noticed that he sounded almost anxious.

"Yeah everything is good. I was just wondering if you were done with work yet." She paused. "And I kinda missed your voice." Her last sentence had V's heart going frantic.

"So the little lady reveals her true purpose. I'm closing up the shop now doll." V assumed she was at her shop still until he heard the sounds of heavy traffic. "Where are you?"

"Oh I was dead so I closed the shop early and went downtown. Did some shopping. I was going to head back to my place now. Did you eat yet? I can order something if you want. Anything your craving?" MC finally hailed down a taxi and got in it.

"Depends. Are you one of the options?" MC blushed at his words and V laughed picturing it. "Just get over to my place as soon as you can. I'll handle dinner." He was about to hang up when his mouth did something unexpected. "I missed your voice too." Flustered by his own words he hung up the phone and composed himself. When he opened the door Yoosung was standing so close that V practically ran into him. "Need something?" Yoosung looked like he wanted to say something but bit his lip. "I'm heading home. Don't forget to lock up. Also I'm not coming in tomorrow so open the shop if you want but don't do too many appointments." V left before he could deal with any of Yoosung's questions. After a quick trip to the store he went to the kitchen and started his plan for dinner. He had never been the best cook, but he was pretty good at making omelettes. Plus he figured that breakfast for dinner counted as cheesy. The last thought had him groaning. He sounded like some love sick boy. 

When MC got up to her floor she could smell smoke. When she realized it was coming from V's apartment she ran. MC opened the door and began coughing. "V! Are you ok? What happened." She looked around for V and finally saw him coming from his bedroom with a fire extinguisher.

"Just stay there!" He ran into the kitchen and sprayed it at the stove. When it was empty and he seemed less frantic MC pulled him out of the kitchen where the smoke was really heavy.

"What on earth were you doing? Why didn't you call the fire department?" She sat down on the couch with him and began checking him over. He had black smudges all over him and but thankfully he wasn't burned. Seeing her frantic state had V at a loss for words and he didn't know what to say. No one but his mother had ever fussed over him like this.

"I was trying to make dinner." He coughed and MC was worried. "It's been a while since I've cooked but I didn't think that I'd nearly burn the kitchen down." He noticed her still worried look and brushed her hair back. "Hey I'm ok. It wasn't even really a fire. Just a lot of smoke." MC took a deep breathe and tried to calm down. 

"Ok but that was still scary. You should of at least waited for me and I could of at least helped. I mean what if it would of been a grease fire or something?"

"I had a handle on it. I would of called the fire department if it was bad. I know I'm an ass but I'm not an idiot." He pulled MC into his chest and started coughing again. "Some fresh air probably wouldn't kill me though. Let me open up some windows and we'll go over to your place. Is Jaehee home?" 

"No she's still at work." MC stood up and V followed her. She waited for him to open up his windows before gathering up her bags. Together they walked over to her place and she unlocked the door. Once she sat her bags down she went to get a rag for V to clean himself off with. "Is this ok or do you want to use the shower?" She blushed a little at her question and V only smiled.

"I mean if you want to shower with me I'm all for that." Her cheeks darkened as she began to imagine V in the shower. Water dripping down his chest and what all he would do to her. V noticed her blushed and her spaced out state. He chuckled and grabbed her waist. The movement brought MC out of her fantasy and V tilted her chin up. "Are we having pervy thoughts little lady?" His thumb swept over her bottom lip.

"N-no." She tried her best to not sound so flustered but V saw right through her. "I'm just tired." V leaned down and kissed her and she relaxed in his arms. When he pulled away she rested on his chest and sighed. "About damn time." V let out a laugh and kissed her again.

"Sorry doll. I meant to do it earlier but you're just so fun to tease." MC rolled her eyes at him and walked back towards the kitchen. V finally used the rag to clean off his face and followed her to the kitchen to wash his hands. "So what should we do about dinner?" MC pointed to the fridge and he saw that it was covered in menus.

"Just pick a place and we'll order something." MC pulled some glasses out of the cabinet and filled them with water. She handed one to V and he gave her a weird look. "You inhaled a lot of smoke. So drink." He hadn't actually thought about how thirsty he was until he drank the water. MC could tell that he was still thirsty so she handed him her glass. Once it was gone she smiled at him. "Feel better?" V nodded and kissed her forehead.

"How did you know I would be so thirsty?" V was honestly curious because he didn't even realize it.

"Oh, I used to be an emt and treated a lot of fire victims. Normally the first thing they ask for is water." Her face looked a little sad as she recalled the memories and V found himself curious. He sat on the counter beckoned for her to come over to him. When she got over there he kissed her softly. It felt almost as if his lips just ghosted over hers. 

"How did you get into that?" MC just shrugged and seemed unsure what to say. V wondered if maybe he shouldn't of asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She shook head and looked up at him. His eyes were so bright and curious, she just couldn't say no.

"No it's ok. I'm just surprised you asked is all. Most people just kinda overlook it." She shrugged but V still looked interested. "Let's order a pizza and I'll tell you about while we eat." Not happy with the fact that he had to wait V pouted and she laughed. "Oh no. You're not gonna guilt me with those eyes." V blinked at her statement, clearly confused. She covered his eyes with her hand and turned away. "Nope. I said pizza first and if you keep flashing me those eyes you can pay for it." V didn't know what her problem was with her eyes but with her back to him he saw an opportunity to get her back for it. He quietly slid off the counter and wrapped his arms around her waist. "V I'm trying to order pizza." He planted kisses on her neck and she bit her lip.

"By all means don't let me stop you." His tongue flicked at her ear lobe as he lightly nibbled at it. She tried to wiggle away from him but he only tightened his hold on her. "Trying to get away little lady?" One of his hands snaked down in between her legs and her breath hitched in her throat. She continued ordering the pizza while V's hands continued to tease her. By the end of the phone call he had her shaking. V's arm was the only thing that kept her upright and as soon as she hung up the phone he slid his hand inside her pants. He hummed at how wet she was and how she shivered as he slid a finger in her. "Mmmmmmm you seem excited. I wonder why." He flicked her clit and she sucked in a breath.

"Maybe ask the guy whose finger fucking me." Her voice was barely a whisper but V was surprised she still had so much sass in her. He smiled and put another finger inside of her. The moan escaped her before she could stop it and V knew he had her. He picked up the pace and MC couldn't fight it anymore. The moans spilled out of her mouth and she knew she was close.

"Tell me what you want doll." His breath was hot on her skin and MC debated giving in to his game. When she didn't V removed his fingers and quickly moved her to the couch. MC barely had a second to breath before V was working his magic again. His fingers curled inside of her while his mouth found her breast. She could feel the pressure building up inside of her and was craving the release of it. "Now I'll ask again. What does the little lady want?" V slowed down his pace and watched as she squirmed in annoyance. If she didn't answer him he was going to stop and that was definitely not what she wanted. 

"I want to cum." As soon as she said it there was a knock at the door and V smiled. He planted a kiss on her lips and got up.

"Sorry doll but pizza first remember?" MC sat there completely shell shocked by what just happened. She watched as V paid for the pizza and acted like nothing had happened. She hadn't even cum yet she could barely feel her legs. V came back with the pizza box and noticed that MC was completely spaced out and looked like an actual doll. Knowing very well that this was his doing, he pulled her into his chest and held her. "You keep spacing out like that and some asshole is likely to take advantage." She laughed a little and V could feel how fast her heart was beating.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to figure out what the hell happened." She sat up and looked at him, clearly searching for answers. "I mean one minute I'm ordering a pizza and the next I literally can't stand up. Like how did you even to that with just your fingers?" Her cheeks were still pink from his teasing and he could tell that she was still pretty wound up. Yet her eyes were full of wonder and love. It was obvious that she enjoyed it. He planted a kiss on her forehead and smiled.

"I'm an artist. My hands always do good work." She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Besides I only did that cause you made it so easy. Not to mention how weird you were being about my eyes." He looked almost upset when he said the last part and MC felt bad. He must of thought she didn't like them or something but it was quite the opposite. She grabbed his face with her hands so that their eyes were locked.

"I wasn't being weird about them. I was trying to not to give in to them." His eyes narrowed a bit and MC smiled. "When I look into your eyes it's so easy to get lost. They're bright and piercing like the sky, yet calm and deep like the ocean. I feel so vulnerable when I look at them, but also safe. Hell I'd probably murder someone if you asked me to." Her words stirred up something deep inside of V. People had always said things about his eyes but nothing close to what she was saying. No one had ever said that they felt safe with him. MC could tell that what she said had an impact on him but she wasn't sure if it was good or bad. "V?" She barely whispered it but he still didn't say anything. "Jihyun." She spoke louder this time and V responded by hugged her into him.

"Thank you for saying that. Even though I don't deserve you or your kind words." His voice sounded tight as if he was trying to hold in all his emotion. MC wasn't sure what happened but she didn't believe what he was saying. She put her arms around his neck and held him as tight as she could.

"Don't say that. Why on earth would you even think that?" MC couldn't see V's face but she could feel him tense up. "Jihyun you don't have to say anything but please don't shut me out. We're not trying if we're not honest." V knew that she was right and he felt himself relax a bit.

"I'm not trying to shut you out. I'm just," V didn't even know how to finish his sentence. "Scared and confused." He didn't know if those were the right words, but they were what came out. "I'm scared because all I know how to do is lose what I love. Yet I'm confused because I don't understand how you can feel safe with me." He felt her arms tighten around him and he felt those feelings stirring again.

"Listen to me. You are a great man and the people who hurt you are not worthy of your love. I know I call you an ass a lot but I've seen your kindness that you try to hide so well. It's because of that kindness that I feel safe with you. Even before we started this you went out of your way to help me, on several occasions. Like the night we first met. You didn't have to come over to my shop and help me but you did." She paused to let the words sink in. "I know I've only seen a little bit of your pain but I want to help you. I know it sounds like I'm just being noisy but even if things don't work with us I want you to have that chance with someone." The idea of not staying with V made her ache but she meant every word. She felt tears fall down her face and land on V's neck. V pulled her back almost in disbelief but she really was crying for him. He wiped at the tears still in awe. "Sorry. I'm normally not a crier." V had a feeling that was a lie but he wouldn't say anything. 

"It's ok. I'm actually happy that you'd cry for me. Makes you look like an idiot but all the same." Her cheeks puffed out at his insult and he finally laughed. "If the little lady doesn't want to be called an idiot then she shouldn't act like one." He poked her nose and she rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Yeah well maybe I like being an idiot. It makes everything a surprise." The air between them finally lifted and they began to eat. As the night progressed V thought more about what Yoosung had told him about dates. A night eating pizza with MC and telling bad jokes with her was better than any fancy restaurant or art gallery. This was what love was supposed to look like and V was beginning to see that.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning MC woke up with V passed out right beside her. She smiled at his sleeping figure and decided to get up and make some breakfast. Last night V had told her that he liked pancakes but hadn’t had them in years. She successfully slipped out of her room only to find Jaehee in the kitchen. “Good morning Jaehee. I figured you wouldn’t be here so early. Didn’t you stay the night at Saeran’s?” MC raised an eyebrow and Jaehee blushed.

“I did but I figured I’d stop by and make sure that you were ok. Saeran said that you pulled an all nighter to finish orders. I didn’t realize you had company though.” Now MC was blushing as Jaehee sipped her coffee.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” MC decided to play dumb as she pulled the pancake mix out of the cabinet. When she turned around Jaehee was hold up a pair of black lacy underwear.

“Well I found these wedged between the couch. And they certainly aren’t mine. So the next question is who did you take them off for?” MC’s face was red and Jaehee was happy.

“Can’t a girl please herself without being outed?” Thinking that Jaehee would let it go MC turned back to the pancakes.

“Yeah I thought that too until I found these.” MC turned and saw her holding up a condom wrapper and V’s boxers. “I know for a fact that neither of these belong to Saeran. MC ran forward and tried to take the evidence out of her hands, but Jaehee was too fast. "Just tell me his name. Is he still here? Cause I could go look in your room if you’d rather.” Jaehee began to leave the kitchen but MC blocked the door.

“His name is Jihyun and it was a one time thing.” It wasn’t a total lie but MC was still petty about Jaehee keeping her relationship a secret. Not to mention her and V still had a lot of things to figure out. “I met him yesterday while I was doing some shopping. We had dinner and one thing lead to another. He left after he thought I fell asleep.” Jaehee was disappointed with the story but didn’t think she was lying. However she was happy to see MC finally trying to date.

“Well alright then. I thought perhaps it was V or Saeyoung.” MC’s eyes went wide and she laughed.

“Why on Earth would you think that?” Jaehee just shrugged and went back to her coffee.

“Well Saeran said that V was in the shop this morning and you both looked tired. And lately Saeyoung has been disappearing after getting texts. We assume he has a secret girlfriend.” MC forgot how sharp both her and Saeran were. If she wasn’t more careful then her relationship wouldn’t be secret for much longer. “So when did you start randomly sleeping with guys?” MC shrugged and didn’t really know what to say. The more questions Jaehee asked the worse MC felt about lying.

“Since that night at the bar. I hooked up with someone and liked how it felt so I kept doing it.” Again not a total lie. She was just making it sound like more than one person. Jaehee felt guilty suddenly knowing the truth and MC noticed. “Hey it’s not your fault. I’m really happy for you and Saeran. If anything you guys gave me the push I needed.” This did in fact made Jaehee feel better and she hugged MC.

“I really do hope you find happiness MC. I have to go to work now but I’ll probably come back here with Saeran if that’s ok.” MC smiled at her and nodded.

“Of course. I think I might go out with Zen tonight though so if I’m not here don’t wait up.” Jaehee nodded and turned to leave. Once MC was sure that she was gone did she relax. Getting flustered so early in the morning just made her want to go back to bed. Leaving the pancake mix where it was MC headed back to the bedroom. V was still on her bed and she was glad to see him sleeping. She tried her best to slip in bed unnoticed but V groaned and pulled her close to him.

“And where were you little lady?” His voice was drowsy and sharp. V nuzzled into her back as if to spread his drowsiness.

“I was going to make us breakfast but Jaehee bombarded me with questions. Now I’m just tired again.” A low chuckle vibrated from V’s chest and he buried his face in her hair.

“I don’t need breakfast. Just stay here with me.” MC smiled to herself. The only time V really expressed wanting her was when he was sleepy or during sex.

“As you wish.” Was all she said before falling back asleep. When she woke up the room was dim and V wasn’t next to her. MC looked around and found him standing by the door. “Jihyun come back to bed.” He turned around and smiled at her.

“How can I resist such a sweet offer?” He walked over to the bed and dove on top of her. She couldn’t help but laugh as he rolled her on top of him. His fingers grazing over her ticklish spots.

“What were you doing anyway?” She laid on his chest tracing his tattoo. He hummed against her touch and had to think about it.

“I was looking for my phone and was about to go check around the couch. However now that you’re awake I don’t need it. I also thought I heard someone else in the apartment.” My eyes shot open and I looked at V in panic. “It’s ok I was just hearing things. Unless Jaehee got off work early.” I relaxed a little once I saw how sure he was.

“That does remind me though. I don’t think Jaehee is staying at Saerans tonight, so we should probably stay at your place.” V’s eyes stayed closed but he nodded. MC looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was already three. She moved to get up but V held her down. “V it’s three in the afternoon. I need to at least put some clothes on and possibly shower.” V hummed at the last part and grabbed her ass.

“I can get behind that last part. As long as I joined you that is.” MC laughed a little and kissed one of the flowers on his chest.

“And what if I said no?” Your voice and full of teasing and V picked up on it. He opened his eyes and smiled.

“Funny I don’t remember giving you a choice little lady.” Any retort she had was stopped by the pure look of desire in his eyes. MC had always read stories about men undressing women with their eyes but she never imagined it would be so intense. Even though she was already half naked his eyes seemed to be searching her. She tried not to think about it but she could feel her cheeks heat up and knew it was too late. “Are we having pervy thoughts again little lady?” The blush on her cheeks darkened and V felt satisfied. No one had ever responded to him this way. In public MC seemed so strong and he’d never seen her bend to anyones words. So to make her so flustered made him feel special. It made him want to push his luck. Feel too flustered MC wiggled her way out of V’s arms and went over to her closet. V only smiled after her and was behind her in an instant. “I’ll take that as a yes. Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking? I want to be able to satisfy your fantasies.” His breath tickled her ear and neck. V put his hands on her hips and spun her around so he could look at her.

“God you’re such an ass.” MC put her arms around V’s neck and played with his hair. He only shrugged and kissed her. The kiss was hungry and full of love. MC could feel her knees shaking and a moan was trapped in her throat. V’s kisses always had a way of making her crave more and this one was just as good. When V pulled away MC didn’t even try to hide her pout. She let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes. She got over to the door and took her shirt off. When she looked back at V his cheeks were pink and she smiled. “Well if you’re coming with me then come on.” She slipped out the door and V didn’t hesitate to follow her. When he caught up with her in the bathroom she already had the shower running and was taking off her undergarments. Her hands glided over her smooth skin and V wanted to replace them with his hands. MC could feel V’s eyes on her but she pretended not to notice. If he was going to tease her she’d return the favor. Before stepping into the shower she looked back at V. “Oh my dear Jihyun. Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly become shy.” Her lips formed a pout but there was a fire in her eyes. As she disappeared behind the shower door V discarded his own pants and climbed in behind her. MC felt V behind her and smiled. His hands found her hips and he pulled her close to him. A small gasp came from her and V pressed into her tighter. She expected his hands to begin teasing her but instead V just held her. It was a nice surprise but she couldn’t help but wonder what happened. “Is everything ok?” The water was the only answer she got until V sighed.

“I just,” His sentence fell flat as if overpowered by the sound of the shower. The air between them had shifted and MC could tell that he was trying to sort out his feelings. Very slowly MC turned around in his arms so that she could wrap her arms around his waist. V watched her and smiled. She was beyond patient with him and it soothed his anxiety. “You make me feel so many things all at once. Feelings that I never thought I’d feel again, and they seem stronger than I’ve ever known. It makes me both anxious and happy.” Now that he had started there was no stopping his words. He let them all out as if trying to wash them down the drain. “The more time I spend with you, the more I want to make this work, but I’m so anxious that I’ll mess it up. I still feel like the most undeserving person of you but I want to believe that I am deserving.” MC met his eyes and saw a flash of pain across them. He gave her a sad smile and ran a finger over her cheek. “It’s ok. Weather or not I think I’m deserving I still love you. So you don’t have to convince me that I am. I am me and I’m in love with you.” It was the first time V had actually said that he loved her. V noticed the surprise on her face and worried that he said something wrong. Before he could apologize MC stretched up and kissed him.

“I love you too Jihyun. The fact that you feel that way and were able to tell me makes me beyond happy. I never thought I’d ever be so happy with another person. Everyday I find new things that I love about you and I want to know more.” She paused and V gave her time just like she gave him. After trying to put the words together MC began to feel dizzy. She rested against V and murmured against his chest. “We should get out of here before I pass out.” V barely heard her but he noticed that she was acting a little sluggish. Keeping an arm around her waist, he reached behind her to turn off the water. She shivered when the outside air hit them but it was a nice relief. “Thanks. I usually don’t take such long showers. I felt like I was about to pass out.” MC handed V a towel and he wrapped it around his waist. After she had her towel on she noticed that V was still just watching her as if he expected her to say more. “That’s also why I stopped talking. I still had more to say, in case you were wondering.” V stayed silent and MC began to feel awkward. “I just didn’t want you to think I don’t understand your feelings, because I do, I just don’t handle heat very well.” Seeing that she was rambling again V walked over and softly kissed her. When he pulled back she had a look of confusion and V smiled.

“It’s alright. We have time remember? Now let’s get dressed and we can finish this over at my place.” He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Seeing V be so patient with her almost made her want to cry. MC had never felt so loved by anyone other than her Grandma and Zen. She looked up at V and smiled.

“Alright deal, but you’re not going near the stove. I’ll make pancakes.” V’s eyes lit up but his face tried to stay stoic, as he shrugged.

“Whatever you want little lady.” V turned around so he could smile. His composure was always so flexed around her but he didn’t want her to know that. It didn’t take long for them to get dressed and MC had grabbed the pancake mix. Neither one had been over there since V’s cooking mishap. When he opened the door it still smelled like smoke and he heard MC cough a little. “Sorry. I didn’t think the smell would still be so strong. I think I have candles or something, hold on.” He began looking around and MC just headed to the kitchen. She looked in the cabinets and found some vanilla extract. After putting some in a cup to sit in the oven she started on the pancakes.

“Don’t worry about it. I took care of it.” V stopped looking and followed her voice to the kitchen. As soon as he walked in he noticed the sweet smell. “How did you?” He looked around for a candle or something and MC just laughed.

“Ancient kitchen hack.” She opened the oven door and V looked in. “I put some vanilla in a bowl and am heating it up. Basically a homemade air freshener.” She pulled the bowl out of the stove and placed it on the counter. “Now it at least doesn’t smell like smoke.” She gave V a teasing smile and he rolled his eyes.

“I’m never going to live that down am I?” MC shook her head and smiled. She began looking for a pan and got it out for her. “Do you need any help?” She walked over and gave him a light kiss.

“Nah. I just needed the pan. There’s only two of us so they won’t take too long to make.” MC frowned after realizing they still needed. “Do you syrup by chance?” V didn’t even have to check. He barely had basic groceries so he knew there was no syrup.

“Sorry doll. I was surprised you actually found some vanilla.” MC sighed and seemed to be thinking. “Do you have some at your place?” She nodded and V held out his hand. “Give me your keys and I’ll go get it.” MC was hesitant but pulled her keys out of her pocket.

“It’s in the cabinet above the stove. There’s also a bottle of wine on the counter if you wanted to grab that for later.” V nodded at her and kissed her cheek before leaving. It felt weird being in each others apartments alone but it almost gave them a chance to really see each others aesthetics. V’s apartment was a blend of modern and cozy. The colors were muted, mostly greys and blacks, which gave it a very clean look. MC’s apartment on the other hand had more space and always seemed a little messy. There were lots of plants over by the window and various frames hung on the wall. V easily found the syrup and the wine and headed back over to his apartment. He opened the door and found MC pulling plates out of his cabinet. “You’re back just in time. Thank you for getting the syrup.” Her smile was so sweet and genuine that V nearly stopped working. The idea of her greeting him like this everyday suddenly plagued his mind as he walked over to her. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her. MC was caught off guard but didn’t fight it. His lips were soft and gentle against her. It wasn’t a kiss of desire but a kiss full of warm, kind, affection. When V pulled away MC was almost dazed. “What was that all about?” V only chuckled and picked up a plate of pancakes.

“I love you that’s why.” V didn’t see it but her cheeks heated up at his words and MC smiled. As she followed after him with her own pancakes she couldn’t get over how happy those words made her. She never thought those words could ever make her so happy.

“I love you too.” Even saying it felt good, and watching V’s cheeks dust pink made her feel so satisfied. They ate for a bit but MC couldn’t really tell what V thought of them. “So how are they?” She asked when they were about half way done eating.

“They’re good. Kinda remind me of the ones my mom used to make for me.” MC perked up at this. V rarely talked about his past and she really wanted to hear it. “I can’t even remember the last time I talked to her. Then again she hasn’t tried to contact me either.” His face looked sad as he poked his pancakes with his fork.

“Maybe she’s scared to.” V looked at MC in surprise and she instantly regretted her words. “I mean I don’t want to assume anything. You just seem to miss her which makes me think you just drifted apart. If that’s the case then she’s probably like you and just too scared to make the first move.” To keep herself from rambling MC put a bite of pancake in her mouth looked at her plate. V only chuckled a little and then moved to put his plate in the sink.

“You’re probably right. Hell with all the changes I’m going through I’ll probably get the balls to write her soon enough.” He looked back to MC and saw that she was almost studying him as if trying to understand what he meant. “Sorry that sounded weird. Don’t worry about it little lady. Are you finished?” He pointed to her plate and she nodded. V picked it up and put it in the sink with his. He then grabbed her hand and began pulling towards the back of the apartment. “I want to show you something.” They stopped at a door and V felt the to of it’s frame for the key. “I’ve never shown this to anyone. Not even my ex.” MC was nervous now but also excited.

“It’s not a weird sex room is it?” V rolled his eyes and stepped away from the door.

“If you’re just going to tease me then maybe I don’t need to show you.” He started to walk away and MC grabbed his arm.

“Ok ok I’m sorry. Please show me what’s behind the door.” She pulled him back over to the door and pouted her lips. “I promise not to tease you anymore.” V smiled at her and pinned to the wall next to the door. Her cheeks blushed at the sudden change as she rested a hand on his chest.

“I’ll be holding you to that doll.” Suddenly his teasing demeanor faulted and MC could see how nervous he was. V was trying to be open with her so of course he was nervous. She slide her hands up his chest and put them around his neck.

“Whatever you want to show me will not change how I feel about you. I can guarantee that. I want to know everything about you, so please show me.” As soon as she said that V reached over and opened the door beside them. He stepped back so that MC could look inside. There were a couple of easels and a table that was covered with paper. Once she was all the way in she saw various paints and other art supplies on shelves. “Is this like your studio?” Her voice was filled with awe as she walked around. MC stopped at the table and saw the it was covered with drawings of flowers, various backgrounds, and even some of her. “Are these drawings of me?” V heard the surprise in her voice which made him uneasy. He stood next to her and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah. Since that night we got stuck in the elevator I kept getting this urge to draw you. At first it was annoying because it was unlike me. I never draw people. Then it sorta became soothing to do when you weren’t around.” V looked at the drawings with her and sighed. “Vanderwood is right though. Not a single one does you justice, and as an artist that’s incredibly frustrating.” MC frowned at his words and looked back to the drawings. They were all so fluid and she couldn’t find a single flaw in any of them. If she had never seen herself she would assume that they were drawings of a model.

“I think they do me too much justice. I mean they’re all so gorgeous. There’s no way this is what I look like, is it?” V slowly turned her head away from the drawings so that she was looking at him.

“It’s not. You’re more beautiful than any canvas or paper can hold. Even memories are nothing compared to you actually standing before me. I could probably try until I die, but I’d never make anything as beautiful as your physical self.” There was so much conviction in his words that MC was completely flustered. Her eyes darted to the floor and she began fidget with hair.

“I highly doubt that. You’re too amazing of an artist to not do that.” In her embarrassment MC saw a photograph sitting in the corner. There was a sheet over it, but it had fallen, and she could see part of a woman’s face. “What’s that one over there?” She pointed to the picture and V tensed up. MC went over to it and pulled the sheet down. It was a blonde woman, with green eyes, laying on a bed in a nightgown. The woman looked so afraid and as if she had been crying. It was a beautiful and heartbreaking imagine but something about it made MC feel insecure. “Jihyun, who is this?” V felt the shift in the air but didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t really a better answer than the truth, so that’s what he went with.

“That’s Rika. My ex fiance.” His answer only gave MC more questions, but she knew she had to tread carefully. “Does it bother you?” His question only made her more tense. She knew that it shouldn’t bother her but for some reason I did.

“No not at all. Why would it bother me that my boyfriend has a huge, and very vulnerable photo of his ex.” She didn’t want to think that he had it for emotional reasons, but she was unsure what to think. Tired of looking at the photo MC turned around to face V. She hoped for any kind of clue from him but he was as stoic as always. “Why do you still have it? Do you still have feelings for her or something?” V wasn’t sure if it was her question or the calm, coldness in her voice, but he realized that he had no answer for her. Time seemed to stop as she waited for him to answer, and the longer he took the more insecure MC grew.

“I don’t know.” It was far from the answer she expected and she didn’t know what to do with it.

“What do you mean by that? You left her at the altar for cheating but you don’t know why you kept the picture? You love me but you don’t know if you still have feelings for her?” MC knew she was probably overreacting but the fact that V couldn’t even give her reassurance was too much. Not able to stand it anymore MC walked past him and headed for the door. V didn’t move to stop her until she had already left the room. He pulled her back from the door and held on to her.

“Please don’t leave MC.” The fact that he had actually stopped her from leaving almost made her want to stay, but if he didn’t have an answer she couldn’t stay. “At least tell me what you’re thinking.” His voice was so desperate and it only made her more confused.

“I’m thinking that you need to find an answer to my question. I love you but I need to know that you only love me. All I’m asking for is reassurance. So until you can do that I’m going to go and process all of this. Call me when you’re ready to talk. I love you.” With that she slipped out his arms and went out the door. V was beyond shook by everything that had just happened and the first thing he felt was the anger. He knew what the answer to her question was but he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t say it. Not sure what to do with any of his emotions he went into the studio and let it all out. Not ten minutes after the rain started to pour.


	10. Chapter 10

Zen had barely made it into the building before the rain started pouring. He frowned knowing that now he'd never get MC to leave the apartment. "Can't hurt to at least check on her." He said under his breath. She wasn't answering her phone so he was worried anyway. When he got to her door Jaehee answered it with a look of surprise.

"Zen what are you doing here?" Now he was confused. Jaehee let him in and Saeran appeared from the kitchen to see who was here.

"What do you mean? I came to see what MC wanted to do tonight, but I'll doubt she'll want to do anything now with the storm happening outside." Jaehee's face turned worried and she looked back at Saeran.

"Zen, MC's not here. We already assumed that she left with you." Everyone shared a worried look but Zen could think of one other place she'd be. 

"Ok you guys stay here and call her. She might be over at V's doing work or something. That or she's at the shop. I'll let you guys know when I find her." Jaehee nodded and turned around to get her phone. Zen left the apartment and practically ran to V's door. He pounded on it until V finally opened it. Zen pushed his way past V and ignored the complete wreck the place was in. When he didn't see MC the worry finally settled in. "Please tell me MC is here." V just blinked at him and plopped down on the couch.

"No she left like ten minutes ago. Why did she call you or something?" V's words made Zen realize that he was actually upset. He looked around the apartment again and noticed that it was a total wreck and V's hand was stained with blood and bruises.

"V what the hell happened?" V sighed and hung his head in his head.

"We had a fight. She just wanted reassurance and I just stood there like an idiot. I assumed she just went back to her place." Hearing all of this made him want to punch V but he could see how bad V already felt. 

"Ok well do you know hear what's happening outside? It just started storming and she's not at her place and she's not here." Zen was still trying to call her but she wasn't answering. "And she's not answering anyone's calls. So get your head out of your ass and show her how much you care." V's head snapped up at Zen's words and he began to frantically search for his phone. The fact that he had been so stupid only made him more anxious. When he found it he called her and he picked up.

"MC where are you?" Zen perked up at V receiving an answer and felt relieved. "Listen I know you're scared and I'm sorry. Just tell me where you are so I can come get you."

"I'm at," A clap of thunder rumbled and she stopped talking.

"Focus on my voice MC. Just tell me where you are. Don't hang up the phone." MC tried her best to listen to V but she was already soaked and her phone kept crackling.

"The garden." That was all she managed to say before her phone cut out. V looked at the phone in disbelief and wanted to throw it.

"She said she's at the garden. I have no idea what that means though. Does she have a garden or something she likes to go to?" V had begun pacing and didn't know what to do. "Fuck!" V tossed his phone onto the couch and tried to think.

"V we're gonna find her. I don't know what garden she's talking about but we should go tell Jaehee and Saeran. V nodded and grabbed phone again. They went back over to MC's apartment and Jaehee practically jumped. "She wasn't at V's but he was able to get a hold of her. She said she's at a garden. Does that mean anything to either of you?" Zen looked between the two and them hoping for an answer.

"She's talked about the garden before. It's where we get all of our seasonal flowers come from, but I don't know where it's at." Saeran seemed to be thinking. "It's gotta be somewhere between here and the shop though because she always comes to work with fresh cuts." Suddenly V remembered MC telling him something. Ignoring everyone else he went to find what he was looking for. Once in there the smell of flowers hit him and made it hard to focus. Seeing her empty bed just made him feel even worse for everything and more determined to find her. Looking on her desk he found the phone book that she talked about. He flipped through it and found a number listed under the name Garden. He pulled out his phone to call the number. 

"Hello?" The gruff voiced belonged to the building super. Suddenly everything connected in V's brain.

"Wrong number." He hung up the phone and left the room. Everyone jumped at his presence and began asking him all kinds of questions. "I know where she is." Was all he said before walking out the door. Everyone else looked at the door in complete shock but no one followed.

"So they are definitely at least fucking each other." Saeran sounded so sure and Zen nearly choked on the beer he was drinking

"I believe you're right. Sorry for doubting you hun." Zen laughed nervously and just stared at his phone while they talked about the issue more.

V wasted no time in running up the stairs until he found the door to the roof. Pausing to read the warning sign, he opened the door, and used a bucket from the stairwell to keep it open. The rain was still coming down heavily but he looked around the roof until he found a huge platform of flowers. He ran over to it and looked for MC. When he didn't see her he began to panic, thinking that he had been wrong. Then he saw a small figure huddled over by the ledge. He ran over to her and held her in his arms. Her clothes are soaking wet and his heart sank when he felt how cold she was. "MC, hey I'm here." She didn't move and V was starting to worry. He picked her up ignoring the pain in his hand. They were both soaked to the bone as he carried her to his apartment. Once he had in his room he took off their wet clothes and put her under the blankets. V climbed in next to her and did his best to make sure she was warm. "I've got you MC. I'm so sorry." He knew that she was still alive but the fact that she was so cold had him worried. "Please wake up and say something." He hugged her tightly and prayed. For the first time in a long time there were tears in his eyes but he didn't care. MC could feel the warmth returning to her body but still felt stiff. The familiar scent of alcohol filled her nose and she thought of V.

"V?" Her voice was scratchy and quiet but V heard it. He didn't say anything but only hugged her tightly. "I'm so cold." She shivered into V and he felt bad that this was all he could do.

"I know. Just sleep for now. I've got you." He kissed her shoulder and the warmth made MC feel drowsy again. As soon as she fell back asleep V heard his phone buzz on the table. He figured it was Zen and knew he needed to answer it. Careful not wake up MC V reached for his phone and answered it.

"V! Did you find her?" V had to hold the phone away from his hear because of the sheer volume.

"Yeah I found her. She's chilled to the bone though so I'm doing my best to keep her warm. I'll let you know when she wakes up." Zen didn't really like V's answer. He was still partly blaming V for what had happened.

"I'm coming over and it's non negotiable. She's my sister and I want to make sure she's ok." V held in his groan at Zen coming over but he couldn't stop him without leaving MC alone

"Fine. Doors unlocked. Just keep it quiet when you get over here. I'll throw you out if you wake her up." V hung up the phone and it didn't take long for him to hear his front door open and close. When Zen got to the bedroom his cheeks heated up seeing V in bed with MC. He fought the urge to scream at V and just cleared his throat. Zen walked over and touched MC's face. He pulled back in surprise to feel how cold it was.

"Where was she? How did she get so cold?" Zen sat down on the edge of the bed and just stared at MC. 

"She was on the roof. That's where her garden is. I think she got stuck up there when the storm started and she was up there until I found her. She was unresponsive when I found her but I can tell that she's warming up now." V felt a knot in his throat as he talked. He was overjoyed that she was ok but he couldn't help but feel guilty. "I knew something like this would happen. I only hurt the people I love. If I had just given her and answer she never would of left. Then I could of kept her safe." Zen watched in shock as V spoke. Never in his life had he seen V display such strong emotions and it made him feel bad for being so hard on V.

"Dude chill. She's going to be ok. You act like she's going to let a little fight keep her away from you. Aren't you the one that said fights are bound to happen, but you wanted to try?" V couldn't even look at Zen because he was watching for the color to return to MC's face. Zen didn't know what to say but it was obvious that V loved her. "How did you know she was on the roof though?" V looked at Zen and just blinked. "You said that you didn't know where the garden was, but yet you found her. How?"

"Oh. I used her phone book. She doesn't learn people's names unless they're important. Instead she writes down what she associates the people with." V smiled remembering his name. "Mine was tattooing asshole before she changed it apparently. I called the number under Garden and it was the buildings super." Zen was honestly impressed. Who knows how long it would of been before any of them had figured it out.

"You saved her ya know." V looked back at Zen surprised. "There's no telling how long she would of been up there if it wasn't for you. She's not open with us like she is with you. Before she met you she kept everyone at an arm's distance, almost like she wanted to be able to turn and run with no strings attached. She's different with you though. She smiles more and talks more. I've also noticed that she's more interested in others now. You're changing her just like she's changing you." The faintest blush showed on V's cheeks while he listened to Zen. He never thought about the impact he had on her, all he noticed were his changes. Looking down at MC, V now knew what he needed to do. He wanted to make sure nothing like this would ever happen again. 

"It seems I have a lot to tell her when she wakes up." He was going to make sure that MC never doubted him again. Zen watched V and saw he softly he looked over MC. To Zen this side of V was like another person and it was strange to see him be so kind and loving. Starting to feel embarrassed Zen got up and headed from the door.

"I'm gonna go fill the others in so I'll leave her with you. Since you're gonna apologize I'll let it slide, but I'll kick your ass if you do this shit again." V laughed a little but didn't look away from MC.

"If I do it again then please do." Zen rolled his eyes and moved to leave. "Hey before you go can you do me a favor?" Zen stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Bring me the Pride and Prejudice book off of the shelf." Zen nodded and headed into the living room. The book was one of the few left on the shelf. He took it back to V and handed it to him. "Thanks." Zen nodded at him and left. Once V heard the door close he opened the book and started reading it out loud.


	11. Chapter 11

MC could hear something familiar and nice. Her body felt warmer but was still stiff. She tried to move but felt something around her. "Waking up are we, little lady?" V's voice rang through her ears and she opened her eyes. V was smiling sweetly at her and her cheeks heated up. "Well you're blushing. That's a good sign." He stroked her cheek. "How do you feel?" MC opened her mouth to speak but started coughing instead. "Take it easy. Here." He handed her a glass of water and she took it. She didn't realize how thirsty she was until the water graced her lips. "Thirsty little lady?" V said while taking the glass from her. MC nodded and laid back down. She tried to recall everything that happened but her memory was blank after she left V's. Now she was naked and in bed with him and despite being against him she still felt cold.

"What happened?" V frowned a little at her question but sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure but after you left here, I think you got locked on the roof before the storm. When I found you, you were soaked and passed out. So I brought you hear to raise your body temperature." V paused and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright. I'm sorry for letting you leave like that." MC could hear the strain in V's voice and it warmed her heart to know that he worried about her so much. Against the stiffness of her joints she returned V's embrace and it only made him hug her tighter. She still felt a little cold but the fact that she was awake and moving felt like a weight off of V's shoulders. He loosened his hold on her and stroked her cheek.

"Thank you V and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't of left like that." V put a finger over her lips before she could say anything else. His smile was kind and soft but MC could see a sadness in his eyes. Almost like no matter what she said he'd still blame himself.

"How about I draw you a bath first? We can talk after that." Without giving her a chance to protest V got up from the bed. MC shivered when his warmth left with him, and now a bath didn't sound so bad. V put another blanket over her to try and make up for his absence and smiled at her. "I'll be right back doll. Be a good girl and stay under the covers." Normally she would of rolled her eyes or something at being told what to do but she only had the energy to nodd. V realized this and it only made him more determined to take care of her. Once V was gone MC tried to think about everything that happened but it was useless. She moved into a sitting position and pulled the blankets around her. Her fight with V was the freshest thing on her mind and it had her stomach feeling sick. Not being able to stand the waiting MC wrapped the thickest blanket around her and headed to the bathroom. It felt good to finally move even if it was slowly. When she opened the bathroom door V frowned at her as he turned off the water. "Impatient are we? I would have came and got you ya know." MC sighed and leaned against him.

"I know but I needed to move my joints a bit and I missed you." V couldn't help but chuckle a little. 

"Well the bath is ready if you want to get in. I tired to make it warm but not scalding hot. I would of added bubbles or something but I don't have any of that stuff." MC smiled and shrugged.

"It's alright. I don't have a bathtub at my place so I don't even have anything like that." She kissed him on the cheek before getting in the bath. The water felt good against her skin and she couldn't help but sigh. Her joints instantly relaxed and she could feel her cheeks getting flushed. "Thank you V. I feel better already." She smiled at him and V finally felt relieved.

"Well I'm glad I was able to do something right." He gave her a small smile but it looked sad. MC could tell that he was blaming himself. "I'm gonna go clean up a bit. I'll come check on you in a bit." He seemed hesitant but turned to go.

"Or you could stay in here with me and we could talk." She hugged her knees to her chest in the tub and glanced at V. Her words were soft but V could tell that something else was there. He was glad that she wasn't still angry with him but he still felt guilty for how he handled their fight. "I just figured that might be better than us being alone with our thoughts. Don't you think so?" V knew she wasn't wrong but he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to say. Instead he crouched down in front of the tub and kissed her hand.

"You're probably right as always, but I vented in the living room so I need to clean that up. Everyone was really worried about you and I don't tell them you woke up they'll break down my door." MC pouted at his answer but he just smiled and kissed her hand. "Trust me I'd be more than happy with hoarding you but your friends are persistent." She sighed and leaned back in the tub.

"Fair point. I guess I'll find you when I'm done in here." V nodded and stood back up. Once he was gone MC sunk into the water and tried to sort out her thoughts. Confrontation was always awkward but she needed to do this for V. The idea that he put all of the blame on himself broke her heart and she wanted to fix this. She needed to fix this.

MC stayed in the bath until the water grew cold and got out. She found a towel in the closet and wrapped it around her body. Then it dawned on her that she didn't have anything to change into. She opened up the door and tried to find V. "Jihyun?" She called out to him but got no answer. Spying a piece of paper on the door she realized it was a note from V. "Went to pick up food. Hope you'll be here when I get back." She rolled her eyes and headed towards V's bedroom. Of course she was still going to be here but that didn't solve her clothing issues. After looking around in V's dresser and closet she found a pair of grey button pajamas. It felt good to finally have clothes on and she began looking around the room. There really wasn't anything too personal in it, in fact it looked like a staged room. There were a few photos of Yoosung and Vanderwood, and then what looked like an old family photo. Only V wasn't in it but she could tell that it was his family because the woman in the photo had the same hair and eyes.

"Have we resorted to snooping now little lady?" MC yelped and nearly dropped the picture she was holding. V was right behind her and she hadn't even heard him come in.

"No! I was just looking." V smiled as she set the photo down and tried to regain her composure. He was happy to see her back to normal. "I went snooping while I was looking for clothes." She began twirling her hair and V looked her up and down. She was in fact wearing his old pajamas and she looked so small in them.

"I can see that. And here I was about to give you some of your clothes to wear." V shook his head and smiled at her. Her cheeks blushed when V told her that. He reached out to stroke her cheek and MC could feel her emotions fighting inside of her.

"V we still need to talk." His hand fell away from her cheek and he frowned. Part of him was hoping that they could just pretend none of it had ever happened, but he knew that she was right. V sighed and pulled her onto the bed. He positioned her so she was sitting on his lap, and her back was against his chest. 

"You're right. Since this is all my fault I'll go ahead and start." MC felt nervous with the certainty of his voice. "While I was with Rika I was photographer. That photograph was part of one of my galleries from when we first started dating." He paused to let MC process all of this. "You see I was obsessed with taking pictures of the sun and I used to think that Rika was the sun personified, but it was all an act." This bitterness and animosity in his voice almost made MC flinch. "As to why I still have it I honestly think it's a mix of I forgot about it, and just to torture myself I guess." MC thought about his reason and they made sense. She thought they were stupid, but they made sense.

"Ok I can understand all of that I guess but why didn't you just say all of that to begin with?" She tried to turn around so she could study V's face but he held her tight. "Saying all of that would of hurt a lot less than nothing."

"I didn't know what to say when we found it. Since I met you my past seems like nothing more than distant stories and it doesn't even plague my mind. Seeing that picture again brought up a lot of those unpleasant memories and I guess I was shocked. I knew the second you asked those questions what the answers were but I for some reason couldn't say them. I'm sorry for being so stupid." MC could hear his voice tighten and she wanted nothing more than to turn around and comfort him but she didn't want to interrupt him. "If I could of just gotten the words out then you would of stayed and you never would of gotten stuck on the roof. I've never been more scared than when I found you. Your body was so cold and I was scared that I was too late." He was ready to break down and MC could feel her heart aching. No one had ever cared for her this much or went to such extremes for her. Breaking out of V's arms she turned around and threw her arms around him.

"It's not your fault. You don't control the weather and I'm the one who left. You tried to stop me but I left anyway. All that matters now is that I'm ok and that's because of you. I don't know how you did it, and not only did you get me off the roof, but you kept me safe. So please don't blame yourself." She paused to collect her thoughts and calm her voice down. "We're both at fault but all that matters now is that we're talking about it. In light of our personalities it's probably a good thing this happened. Things from our past are bound to come up so it's important to control how we react." V could tell that she was rambling again so he rolled her over so that she was underneath him.

"You ramble a lot when you're nervous ya know." Her cheeks turned red and she bit her lip. That was the one flaw that she was never able to hide no matter what. V smiled at her pout and leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away she was smiling and he found only a trace of anxiety in him. "So are we ok now?" He couldn't bother to look her in the eyes but MC could hear the doubt inside of him. She wrapped her arms around him and connected their foreheads. After waiting for his eyes to meet hers she smiled.

"Of course we are. I love you." Hearing her say it felt like a wave washing all of his tension away disappear. His whole body relaxed and he fell next to her on the bed. She laughed at his actions but settled in close to him and laced their fingers together. They laid there in silence until MC realized that she had no idea what time it was. "Hey what time is it?" V only shrugged and put her hand on his leg. She felt his phone and fished it out of his pocket. She saw that it was after nine and debated calling Jaehee. There was just one question on her mind though. "How did you figure out where the garden was?" V rolled his eyes, annoyed that he had to explain this again.

"It was really easy actually. I just checked your address book and called the number for garden. When the super answered I knew there was only one place the garden could be." V squeezed her hand but continued to look at the ceiling. "Also I'm pretty sure everyone knows about us now. I didn't exactly hide my concern about you. Not to mention I had you unconscious and naked in my bed with me. If they haven't figured it out then your friends are dumb." MC laughed a little and V let the sound spread through him. "I take it you're ok with that then?" She shrugged and curled up against his chest. If was being honest she wanted to tell Jaehee right away but her pettiness got in the way of that. Maybe having it out in the open would be more helpful anyway. 

"I honestly don't care. I would have told Jaehee about it on day one if I wasn't so petty." They laughed together but it was interrupted by a growling noise. "Right now all I care about is food." She laughed again and laid on V's chest. "What did you get for dinner." He pinched her nose and smiled.

"Funny I don't remember saying that I got food for you." MC knew that he was only teasing her but she wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Well if that's the case I'll just to go home and get some food." She made a move to get up but V pulled her back down. Feeling satisfied MC smiled at his brief panic. 

"Alright fine I'll share. Just wait here." She stretched up and planted a kiss on his lips. 

"As if there's anywhere else I'd go." A faint blush was on his cheeks as he got off the bed and left the room. V returned with a bag of take out. MC sat up on the bed excitedly and he couldn't help but smile. V gave MC her share of the food. It was tacos and that had MC even more excited. When she took her first bite she hummed in pleasure. "So good! I can't remember the last time I had a taco so good while being sober." It was quite while they ate but in a nice way. V couldn't help but think about how much fun he had with her while doing something so simple. At the same time though he wondered if she was ok with this. For all he knew maybe she actually wanted to go on dates to actual restaurants and stuff. He was thinking about it even after they had finished eating. MC could tell that something was bothering but she wasn't sure what. "Hey what's wrong?" V came out of his thoughts and just blinked at her question. "You bite your lip when something is bothering you, so what's wrong?" He sighed and kissed her hand.

"Are you sure you're happy with me? I mean I haven't even bothered to take you on a date or anything like that, and I caused a fight that got you stuck on the roof. So far I feel like I've been a pretty shitty boyfriend." He laughed a little but MC could tell that it was a self conscious one. She settled down next to him and gave him a soft kiss. When she pulled away she was smiling and V wasn't sure what to think.

"Of course I'm happy with you. As for the dates thing, by my count we've already had six." V's eyes went wide and she sat up with her legs on either side of him. "First was in the elevator, then the night I spent here because of the storms, after that was the club and everything that followed, dinner in my shop, pizza at my place, and earlier today when I made pancakes over here." After she had finished counting she held up her six fingers proudly, and V couldn't help but laugh. Here he was worried that she didn't count any of those. She really knew how to throw him through a loop.

"I didn't think you could count all of those as dates. Especially the first three because we technically weren't together then." He pinched her cheeks as she pouted but she swatted his hands away.

"Well isn't that the whole point of a date to get closer to the other person? If it wasn't for those first three I doubt we'd be here now. Plus the third one is kinda split since we did get together by the end." V only shrugged as he rolled her over and laid on top of her. She laughed and began to squirm underneath him but his body was completely slacked. "Jiiiihyun you're crushing me!" Her laugh filled the room and it almost felt like it was healing V's soul. He kissed the crook of her neck and she giggled at the touch.

"I love your laugh." MC was caught off guard by his sudden compliment but she smiled and kissed his cheek. "So are you going to stay the night here then?" His question was a surprise to MC but she only laughed and wiggled her arms out from underneath V. She wrapped them around his neck and hugged him.

"Of course I am." V let out the breath he was olding in and she giggled. "I need to go talk to Jaehee and Zen though. They must of been so worried, especially Zen." V let out a sigh because he knew that he would have to move in order for her to do that. MC could tell he was hesitating and she only rolled her eyes. "If I don't go over there soon they're likely to come over here. Is that what you really want?" V shook his head against her shoulder and she couldn't help but laugh. "Well then let me up." V took a few more seconds as if to think it over but then gave a heavy sigh. When he finally did roll off of her MC took a deep breath and laughed. She got up off the bed and held her hand out. "Wanna come?" V moved his arm that was covering his eyes and raised his eyebrow.

"Why would I go? They're your friends not mine." MC rolled her eyes.

"Being my boyfriend means sometimes hanging out with me and my friends." Now V was rolling his eyes but she only smiled. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll just go over and grab my tooth brush and stuff. Think you can survive without me for a bit?"

"No but you're not giving me a choice are you?" She shook her head and V sighed. "Go ahead and go. If you take too long I'll just come get you." MC laughed again and it almost made V follow her out the door.

"It just might come to that. You know very well how doting Zen can be. He'll probably try and lock me up." She laughed at the idea but they both knew that it could very well happen. Suddenly V got off the bed and MC nearly jumped by how fast he moved. "What,"

"I'll walk you out and make sure you get over there ok." With the confusion cleared MC smiled at him and nodded. She knew not to expect too much of him right now but she could see that he was trying and that's all that mattered. He kissed her before letting her out the door and watched until she went into her apartment. Once she was gone V realized just how much he missed her. This girl was really fucking him up but all in the right ways.


	12. Chapter 12

When MC walked into her apartment Jaehee immediately pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "Jaehee. Can't breathe." She let go of MC and began to scold her.

"How dare you worry us like that! What if you would of gotten sick again or worse, and secondly," Jaehee looked behind MC as if her point was expecting someone else to be there. "Where's V?" She then noticed MC's clothes. "And what are you wearing?" MC only laughed at all of Jaehee's questions.

"Sorry for worrying everyone so much. While I was on the roof the door stopper must've gotten moved by the storm. I'm fine now though thanks to V." I could feel my cheeks heating up as I thought about how kind and worried V had been. 

"That's the other thing. Where is V? He was more worried about you than anyone, so I'm surprised he's not stuck to you like glue." Jaehee gave her a teasing smile and MC rolled her eyes.

"Yeah for a simple business partner he was really worried." The sarcasm was heavy in Saeran's voice and that's when MC knew that her relationship was no longer a secret.

"So how long have you two known?" Jaehee had walked back over to the couch. Then MC noticed that Zen wasn't freaking out like she thought he'd be. "Zen's not here?" Saeran rolled his eyes and pointed to the bathroom.

"He's in the shower trying to calm down. And we've known since the storms. Although I thought you two were just fucking around. She's the one who thought it was something more." Jaehee playfully slapped Saeran across the arm and furrowed her brows together. MC laughed at the pair and sat down across from them.

"So what are you guys doing exactly and why didn't you tell me about this?" Jaehee's curiosity was in full swing and she wanted to know everything. This was a big deal to her because it meant that MC was finally opening up. 

"Well mostly because I'm petty as fuck, but also because I wasn't sure if it was even going to last. Actually I'm staying over there tonight so I just came to grab a couple of things. I should probably do that before Zen gets out of the shower." Jaehee's eyes went a little wide and she squeezed Saeran's hand.

"Wait does Zen not know? Does he actually believe you guys are just business partners?" MC began to laugh at Jaehee's concern which got a pillow throw at her.

"Zen actually walked in on us right as we were about to have sex. He was completely mortified, as one can expect when you walk in on your sister grinding on your friend." MC let out another laugh but Jaehee had shot up from the couch and had her hands on MC's shoulders.

"Zen is your brother?" MC only blinked at her sheer intensity and realized that Jaehee did know this bit of information. Saeran had pulled his shocked girlfriend back to the couch, but was clearly amused. "So he's not in love with you or anything like that?" MC couldn't help but laugh.

"Nope. My freshman year of college Zen reached out to me and told me about how his mom and my dad had a fling. He's the reason I moved out here for my fresh start. Never knew he was such a mother hen though." Now everyone was chuckling but the front door opening stopped them. V walked into the apartment with a sheepish expression and MC wasted no time running over to him. "That didn't take you long." V rolled his eyes but MC gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry I'm taking so long. Jaehee tried to shake me to death." V raised an eyebrow and looked between MC and Jaehee.

"Well it's not my fault you've been keeping so many secrets! How could you not tell me Zen was your brother or that you were fucking the neighbor! Even when I found underwear on the couch you still lied." Saeran rolled his eyes and raised his hands up freeing Jaehee. He knew what was about to happen and that there was no stopping it.

"Again only because I'm petty as fuck! You and Saeran were dating for a week before either of you said anything. And you not knowing about Zen and I is his fault too. Why aren't to trying to shake him to death?" Jaehee threw another pillow at MC but it was caught and thrown right back in her face. The two began to run around the apartment trying to hit each other with pillows while yelling at each other. V and Saeran had retreated to the kitchen.

"Does this happen often?" V asked while Saeran offered him a bottle of water.

"Unfortunately yes. Apparently when MC started living here she would hardly talk to Jaehee. So one day she got fed up and threw a pillow at her. I guess it's their weird way of bonding or something." V nodded, not really understanding but accepting it.

"I always wondered why there were so many pillows in this place." Saeran shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his yogurt. 

"I learned a long time ago to stay out of the way though. MC used me as a shield one time and Jaehee knocked me out, literally." V's eyes widened in surprise and Saeran just nodded. "I swear by it. You do not want to get in the middle of that." Just as he said this Zen came ducking into the kitchen.

"Jesus christ! What got those two started?" Saeran and V only shrugged and Zen sighed. "One of them almost smashed by beautiful face!" He clutched his chest in a dramatic sense and the other two just rolled their eyes. "But a serious note it looks like Jaehee is winning so it should be over soon." That was enough to get Saeran and V took look into the living room. Sure enough Jaehee was stradling MC to keep her pinned and held a pillow over her head. Saeran smiled at his girlfriend with pride.

"That's my girl." Hearing him say that lit something inside of V. He suddenly found himself routing for MC. When he saw MC getting ready to flip Jaehee V smiled.

"Five bucks says MC will win." Saeran gave V a curious look but smiled nonetheless.

"Interesting but you can do better than that." V chuckled and held out his hand.

"If Jaehee wins I'll cover up your tattoo for free. If MC wins, and I know she will, then you take care of the flower shop next weekend." Saeran smiled and shook V's hand. As soon as they made the deal MC flipped Jaehee off of her and immobilized her. Saeran watched completely surprised and V couldn't help but laugh. "Told ya." Back in the living room the girls were completely oblivious to their boyfriends watching.

"Do you finally admit that I'm right?" Jaehee tried to reach for a pillow but MC's grip on her arms wouldn't give. Letting out a sigh Jaehee's body relaxed.

"Fine. I concede, and admit that you're right. Zen never introduced you as his sister so it's his fault I didn't know." MC let go of Jaehee's arms and helped her up. "Oh my goodness we made a mess of things." MC looked around and nodded.

"Yep but that's not my problem. Loser has to clean the ring, remember." With a heavy sigh Jaehee nodded and MC headed back to her bedroom. V instantly followed her. When he opened the door she was brushing her hair and smiled at him. "Hey. Sorry about all the noise. I didn't think she'd actually start a fight." There was an amused tone in her voice but V noticed something red on her cheek.

"You're bleeding." He was next to her in a flash and cradling her face to inspect it. MC touched her cheek and looked at her fingers. She was in fact bleeding.

"Damn. She actually got me. Don't worry about it. Tis but a scratch." V rolled his eyes at her reference but grabbed a tissue to wipe the blood away. MC saw how serious his face was and it made her feel good that he worried about her so much. Once V had finished with the tissue he threw it way. "Thanks. Let me just grab clothes for tomorrow and we can go back over to your place." He smiled at her and connected their lips for a deep kiss.

"Good because it was really hot watching you win like that." As if to prove his point he grinded his hips against hers. MC giggled but pulled him in for another kiss. The kiss only got heavier until the two pulled away panting. V tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Let's go out for a bit tonight." MC's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed like an odd thing for him to request but he seemed so serious about it.

"Are you serious?" He frowned at her question and pinched her cheek.

"Of course I'm serious. Now that it's out in the open I figure I owe you a proper date." Now her eyes went even wider and her lips parted a bit in shock, before curling into a smile. V couldn't help but blush at how adorable she looked. "Unless you'd rather I leave you here and I go by myself." Realizing that he was teasing her she frowned and tightened her arms around his neck.

"No!" She blushed and bit her lip. "I'd love nothing more than to go on a date with you. It just surprised me is all." V smiled in triumph at her answer. He held her chin in between his fingers and kissed her.

"Good. Now grab your stuff and get ready. I'll be back for you in like twenty minutes ok?" She smiled at him and nodded. V turned to leave the room but MC grabbed his hand.

"Wait, where are we going?" He raised an eyebrow at her question like it was strange to ask. "So that I know what to wear you dork." He rolled his eyes at her and shrugged. He had barely ever seen her out of work clothes so he liked the idea of being surprised. No reason to let her know that though he thought.

"Just wear whatever. We're not going anywhere super fancy." When she smiled at him the whole room seemed brighter and he smiled too. V closed the door behind him and walked back through the apartment. The other three were still cleaning up the mess in the living room and V tried to sleep out unnoticed. It was Zen who caught him leaving.

"Hey where's MC?" The concern in his voice got the attention of the other two and V stopped at the door.

"She's getting dressed. We're going out." He moved to leave again but another question stopped him.

"Where are you guys gonna go? We could join you guys." Zen seemed so chipper about the idea but V didn't share it.

"Sorry Hyun, maybe next time. There's only room for two people on this date." Zen frowned at his answer but V only shrugged. "I gotta go change now, later guys." With that he turned out the door and Jaehee went to go check on MC. When she opened the door there were clothes everywhere and she had different makeup on both eyes.

"MC what on earth is going on in here?" MC spun around at the sound of Jaehee's voice and franticly pulled her into the room.

"Jaehee help! V asked me out on a date and I have no idea what to wear!" Jaehee raised an eyebrow at her friends panic.

"Have you two never went on a date before?" MC blushed and shrugged.

"I mean kinda. Up until now we've just been hanging out and eating dinner with each other. Those dates I can handle but I haven't been on an actual public date in years. What the hell am I even supposed to wear? Everything I have is either for super professional or super sexy. There is no in between!" Jaehee couldn't help but laugh at her friends behavior. MC frowned as she pulled a purple dress over her head. "I'm serious Jaehee. How does this look? V said we weren't going anywhere fancy but that was zero help." Smiling, Jaehee walked over to the bed and looked at all the clothes. She pulled out a yellow dress, with short sleeves, an open back, and a high-low cut hem.

"Here this will work perfectly. It's a good mix of casual and sexy and the color looks good on you. Plus the color won't clash with V's unique hair color." MC took the dress from her and looked it over. She actually brought it because she was thinking of V's hair. The dress also reminded her of sunflowers. 

"Thank you Jaehee! You're a lifesaver." MC gave her a quick hug and put the dress on. She did her makeup subtle yet noticeable and Jaehee helped with her hair. When they were done MC felt much more at ease. "Thanks Jaehee. I don't know what I was freaking out so bad for. It's gonna be fine right?" 

"Of course it. Now hurry up and get out of here before Zen tries to tag along again." MC nodded and grabbed her purse and the night bag she had packed. She tried her best to get hurry and she was almost to the door when Zen blocked her path.

"Now listen MC. I know you're an adult but just hear me out. I know you're going to be with V but you still need to be careful. Men are wolves and you've always been good at attracting the worst of them. So just stay with V ok?" His lecture didn't go the way MC thought it would but it was nice to know that Zen trusted V to keep her safe. He looked like he was about to say more but a knock on the door saved her from hearing it.

"Thanks for worrying Zenny. Gotta go now." She pushed past Zen and went out the door. On the other side stood V in a grey v neck shirt, paired with black pants. He looked down right handsome and MC could help but stare. "Wow." As soon as she said it her cheeks turned red and V's eyes went wide.

"Took the words right out my mouth doll." He hooked an arm around her waist to pull her into a kiss but she moved out of the way.

"How bold of you to kiss a girl before the date even starts." V rolled his eyes and she laughed. She planted a kiss on his cheek and he frowned. "I'm joking but we should get out of here before Zen gives us some kind of lecture." To prove her point she kicked the door and there was a thud from the other side. V couldn't help but laugh and he moved his arm up to her shoulders. They walked out of the building and V opened up the car door for her. Both of them were so nervous that the ride was silent. MC asked where they were going but V refused to tell her. It wasn't until V parked the car in front of a building downtown. It was a right in the middle of downtown but didn't stick out like the other places. "What is this place?" V helped her out of the car and held her hand.

"Other than my shop it's probably my favorite place in the city." He opened up the door and they walked into a small bookstore. It looked like they sold art supplies too. "Follow me." V took her hand and walked all the to the back of the shop until they came to a bookcase. "See that book?" He pointed to a copy of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, and she nodded. "Pull it off the shelf." His smile was equally to a child's and it was infectious. Slowly MC reached for the book and tried to pull it off the shelf. It came half off and then made a clicking noise. She let it go and slowly the bookshelf swung open to reveal a hallway. V smiled taking her hand again. "Welcome to The Raven." He said before pulling her down the hallway. V's excitement was spilling out of him and she couldn't help but feel it herself. It was already obvious that this was going to be a great date.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the pillow fight with Jaehee V told MC that he wanted to take her on a proper date. So he takes her to a hidden bar called The Raven. While there MC sees a whole new, more friendly, side of V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy NSFW about toward the end

     They could hear music as they walked down the hallway, and it suddenly got louder. V opened another door and revealed their destination. It was a lounge bar. Various couches and tables filled the back part of the place and the rest was empty for people to dance. V guided them over to a small booth close to the bar and they sat down. There was so much around that MC didn't know where to look. "I never knew there was a place like this here!" V smiled at her and leaned back.

"I'm glad you like it. I come here a lot when I'm not working. Vanderwood brought me here to celebrate the opening of my shop and I've been a loyal patreon ever since." Just as he had finished talking a very burley waiter came up to them with a wide smile. He had brown curly hair and amber eyes.

"V! We were all starting to think that you split town or something. How have you been?" He clasped V on the shoulder and then his eyes widened when he saw MC. "And just what might be your name cutie?" The waiter leaned on the table with a flirtatious smile. Before she could answer though V pulled her close and smiled at the waiter.

"Sorry Sasuke, but she's already mine." Sasuke's jaw dropped but he quickly recovered. He laughed and seemed even more amused than before.

"Damn V. First you don't want any of the girls and then you take the cutest one I've ever seen." MC's cheeks turned red and she nearly snorted at the idea.

"I highly doubt that's true. I'm barely basic." She let out a nervous laugh and Sasuke joined her.

"Well my name is Sasuke. If you ever get sick of dealing with this guy you know where to find me. Now what can I get for you guys?" They put in their drink orders, wine for MC and a bourbon neat for V, and Sasuke left them.

"Wow you weren't kidding when you say you come here a lot. I've never seen you be so friendly with people and you're so relaxed." She smiled at him but he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well get a good look cause outside of this place I'm just your everyday asshole." MC frowned at him but it was only for a moment. "I'm just glad you like the place." They're drinks arrived and she smiled at him.

"I do. The city I'm from had bars like this and there's was one I always like to go to. I actually met Anthony there." She took a sip of her drink and looked out at the dance floor. When she looked back at V she saw that he was surprised. "What?" He shook his head and set his glass down.

"That's the first time you've ever really told me anything about your past. So his name was Anthony?" Cheeks turning red she nodded and ran her finger around the rim of her glass.

"Yeah. My cousin and I were meeting up with some of her friends and he was there. I think he was the designated driver that night. He was quiet and handsome. We also had lots of things in common so we hit it off." She gave him a bitter smile. "You pretty much know the rest of the story." V picked up his drink and took a big drink. He gently curled his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up towards him.

"Thanks for telling me. I love you MC." Her face lit up and she smiled at him.

"I love you too V." He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. It was short but full of sweetness. When V pulled back his hand moved up to her cheek and his thumb rubbed over it.

"Would you care to dance little lady?" Even in the dim light of the building V could see how her eyes were shining.

"Yes! I mean if you really want to that is." Her cheeks turned red and V chuckled. He got out of the booth and offered her his hand. She shyly took it and he pulled her to the dance floor. The music was like modern jazz and they could feel it flowing through them. MC still felt awkward but with V taking the lead dancing was fun. He spun her around the dance floor and they moved in time with the music. There really was no pattern or anything to it but that made it all the more fun. Neither of them had ever been so relaxed and they delighted in each others laughter. When the song was over they were panting and V pulled her in for a kiss. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun dancing." The next song started and it was slower. V smiled at her and held her close. They began to sway to the music.

"Me either. Everything seems so much better with you. You're amazing MC." She blushed at his words as she leaned her head against his chest.

"So are you. I've never met someone who I want to kiss and punch in the face at the same time." This got V laughing and kissed the top of her hair.

"Yet you've chosen to love me anyway." She laughed and lifted her head from his chest.

"Yep. Still the best decision I've ever made." V smiled at her and she stretched up to give him a kiss. The song ended as she pulled away and it seemed like the band was going to take a short break.

"Shall we head back to the table?"

"You go ahead. I'm just gonna go to the restroom real quick." V nodded and they parted ways. As MC went toward the bathrooms V went to the bar. The bartender noticed him right away and went over to him.

"Long time so see. What have you been up to?" The bartender began to pour him a drink and V smiled.

"The usual. Tattoos, take out, dating." The bartender nearly dropped the drink he had just poured and V laughed. "I'm really starting to enjoy people freaking out when I say that." V took the drink from the bartender.

"Well can you really blame me? After all you're the reason we have our specialty drink." V chuckled into his glass before taking a drink. "Still don't think I'll believe it until I see it." The bartender began to look around the bar until his eyes settled onto a red headed woman down the bar. "Go talk to her and get her phone number." V looked at the woman and rolled his eyes. Then he saw MC coming back from the restroom and he smiled.

"I've got a better choice. See that woman with the brown hair in the yellow dress?" The bartender nodded. "I'll not only get her phone number but I'll go home with her." The bartender gave him a doubtful look and V pretended to be shock. "What don't think I can?" The bartender still looked doubtful and V scoffed. "Tell you what if I can get her to go sit down with me I get free drinks the rest of the night." Not believing that V could actually win this the bartender nodded his head and they shook on it. Downing the rest of his drink V got up and to meet MC. He got behind her so that the bartender couldn't see her face, and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and smiled at him. "Hey pretty lady. Wanna join me over there for a drink?" She laughed at his suddenly flirty behavior.

"What's gotten into you all of the sudden? Are you drunk already?" V smiled and brought her hand to his lips, giving it a light kiss.

"I have no idea what you mean. All I want is to enjoy your company and see if a night of drinks could turn into something more." He let go of her hand and leaned in close. "So what does the little lady say." His breath was hot against her ear and sent a shiver down her spine.

"Well how can I say no to such an offer?" His smile was simply devilish and his eyes were alight with mischief. The bartender watched in shock as MC began to follow V back to a booth. His shock only deepened when he watched MC laugh at something V said and kissed him. Still feeling in disbelief he waved V over. When V got up the the bar it was clear that he was amused.

"Something wrong Paul?" V took a sip of the drink he brought with him and smiled.

"I don't know. I feel like you cheated somehow but I literally watched you talk to her the whole time. How did you do that?" V only shrugged but his smile still remained.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Besides I don't want to ruin my free drink card." V winked at Paul and tipped his empty glass toward him. As soon as the glass was filled V offered a nod and a cocky smile. "Thank you kindly Paul. I promise not to drink you dry. This is one night I want to remember." Paul watched him walk away realizing what that meant for V. Just this one time he didn't mind being cheated. When V got closer to the booth he saw someone else sitting there next to MC. It was a guy with red curly hair and he was making her laugh. V felt jealousy constricting around his heart as he sat back down on the booth. The man in the booth looked exactly like Saeran but with glasses.

"Welcome back V. What did the bartender want?" Seeing that her attention was fully on him now made V feel better but he was still confused.

"To settle a bet. What is Saeran doing here though?" Before she could answer the man began to howl with laughter. MC gave V an apologetic look before glaring at the man.

"Sorry V. This is Saeyoung, Saeran's twin brother, but he's an idiot so feel free to ignore him." Saeyoung's jaw dropped in shock as he feigned being utterly crushed.

"MC I thought we were friends. How could you say something so cruel?" She only shrugged drinking her wine.

"Honesty is a bitch sometimes." V couldn't help but chuckle at how blunt she was and the effect it had on Saeyoung. "What are you even doing here anyway? Do you really have a new girlfriend or something?" Saeyoung began to laugh and shook his head.

"Nah nothing like that. The position of lady 606 is still open though if you're interested." He winked at MC and she rolled her eyes. V could tell that Saeyoung was joking but he could see the serious intent behind his eyes. Starting to feel a little threatened V put his arm around MC's shoulder and pulled her closer. She blushed at the sudden attention but welcomed it all the same.

"Hate to disappoint Saeyoung but she's already taken." Saeyoung's eyes widened a bit as he finally put the pieces together and he laughed a little.

"I can see that. So you're the mysterious tattoo artist the madame and my brother always talk about." Now both MC and V were confused. They had never heard of anyone called madame before. MC was about to ask who he was talking about when another familiar figure came up behind Saeyoung. It was Vanderwood and he whacked Saeyoung on top of the head.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You beg me go drinking with you, even bring that blonde kid, and then you just ditch me with him?" Vanderwood was so busy yelling at Saeyoung that he didn't even notice MC and V.

"I apologize madam but I saw a friend and got excited. Speaking of where is Yoosung now?" This caught V's attention and he felt suddenly anxious.

"Yoosung is here?" V's voice finally made Vanderwood aware of them and he looked at them in shock.

"V? You're here and you brought MC? When did this happen?" Vanderwood pushed Saeyoung over and sat down at the booth. "Also it's good to see you again MC." She tipped her glass to him and then waited to see if V was going to answer.

"I really don't think it's any of your business but since the night at Zen's club. She's my girlfriend now." V sounded so proud when he said that it made MC blush. It was also the first time he had ever called her that to another person. Not sure if it was from the alcohol or V's words, but MC felt bubbly. Heat coursed through her body as she leaned on V. His hand found hers and gave it a squeeze. The rest of the night went rather enjoyable. When MC wasn't dancing with V, she danced with Saeyoung and even a little bit with Vanderwood. Not that V let either of them dance with her that long. Hours had passed before they had finally decided to leave and V was glad for it. All of the dancing and alcohol had gotten to him and MC looked more tempting with each passing second. As soon as the door to his apartment he ran his hands along her hips, and pulled her against his chest. She fit nearly perfectly against him and he loved it. "I really hope you're not too attached to this dress, because I'm five seconds away from ripping it off of you." MC felt the heat from his words spread across her face and she smiled. Pressing her hips into his he let out a groan. V began to plant sloppy kisses along her neck and she hummed in delight. A hand slid up her dress and MC could feel her knees getting weak. Hungry for more V turned her around and connected their lips. His impatience showed in how his tongue stole into her mouth and MC welcomed it. When she pulled away V nearly whined but settled for planting more kisses on her neck. V's hands began to tug at her dress and he growled in frustration. "How long are you going to tease me like this." He pulled on her dress again and MC could only giggle.

"Just until we get to the bedroom." As soon as the words left her lips V kissed her and she felt herself being lifted up. She wrapped her legs around V and he continued to kiss her. It didn't register that they were in the bedroom already until they crashed on the bed. V's hands began to explore her body but he the dress was still in his way. He wanted to be closer to her, to touch her the way no one else could. He moved his hands up to her chest and MC moaned in anticipation. In one swift movement V ripped open the front of MC's dress and she gasped. When she tried to sit up V gently pushed her back down and kissed her neck.

"I'll buy you a new one love. I promise." He murmured against her collar bone and she hummed in agreement. Moving his mouth down to her brest MC sucked in a breath and arched her back. It was hardly the first time since they had done this but this was different. Their relationship was real now. Neither one was holding back and it showed. In every touch, every kiss. There was no need for words right now because they had moved past words. It had barely been a week but it felt like they'd know each other for years. V knew all of her weak spots and she knew what every touch said. As V continued to kiss down her chest he ripped the dress further and further, until it had been completely ripped open. "That's much better." V murmured against her bare stomach, causing her to giggle. He then half kissed, half tickled until he got to her underwear. "May I little lady?" She could feel his breath on her cunt and it drove her wild.

"Yess. P-please." She could barely get the words out as V continued to tease her skin. He rewarded her quick answer with a digit inside of her and she muled in pleasure. V couldn't help but smile at how wet she already was. He was the only one that could do this to her and that idea alone made his cock twitch. Moving very slowly V slid her underwear down until she was finally free of them. MC was now fully nude and V paused to take in the sight. She looked absolutely divine and he couldn't believe that she was all his. The longer his stare lingered the more it seemed to bore into MC. He always seemed to do this when they made love but it was much more intense this time. "What is it?" She couldn't help but think something was wrong but V only smiled at her. He pulled his shirt over his head and laid a kiss on her.

"I just can't believe such a beautiful girl is actually my girl." He began to pepper her neck with kisses and she felt his hard cock press against her leg. His mouth was now on her chest and it made her cunt ache.

"You must be drunk if you're still trying to sweet talk me. I mean you already got me naked in your bed. What else could you possibly want?" V's head snapped up and she gave him a challenging smile. He loved her so much and knew right then and there what his answer was. So not wanting to give her a reason to leave he spoke without hesitation.

"To marry you and have at least five kids with you." He spoke so surely and without even stopping his kisses. MC on the other hand was shocked at his honesty.

"Wait what? Are you serious?" He hummed against her skin and she took the opportunity to flip him over. V's eyes widened in surprise as she leaned down and kissed you. "I hope this doesn't count as your proposal cause it really sucked." Her words were teasing but her smile was spilling with happiness. The idea was both exciting and terrifying but she wanted it. V reached up and tangled his hand in her hair. Even in the dim light she could see the mint of his eyes and they were so soft and full of love. He gently pulled her back down to his lips and it was oh so soft. Then it changed. V deepened the kiss and began to explore her mouth. The hand that wasn't in her hair dug into her hip and his hips began to move underneath her. She moaned into his mouth and began to pull on his pants. He let go of her lips and chuckled.

"Seems like you want something little lady." She pouted at him and he rolled them back over. "All you had to do was ask." In one swift move V freed his erect cock, and lined it with her entrance. Soon he had filled her completely and it was almost enough to make her cum. Once he began to move it didn't take long for her to match his thrust with her own. The air in the room became thick with the smell of sex with whispers of I love you shared between them. One of V's hands found its way to her clit and began to move in small circles. The new sensation sent MC over the edge and she could feel her orgasam coming. Her nails raked across V's back and he could feel the heat inside of him building.

"Mmmmm V. I'm gonna cuuumm." Her words were broken stutters as her walls tightened around him. He wanted to answer her but he was so captivated by the feel of her wrapped around his cock, all he he could do was kiss her as a reply. A few more thrust was all it took for them both to reach their climaxs. V collapsed next to MC and they were both panting. He wasted no time pulling her against him and stroking her hair. She snuggled against his chest perfectly, like she was made to fit there. "Wow." V let out a light chuckle.

"Agreed." He kissed her forehead and she smiled at him. "We should sleep. It's already almost three in the morning." MC wasn't surprised but she was already half asleep as it was.

"Already halfway there Jihyun." Her voice was a light whisper as she traced the tattoos on his chest. "We would just stay in bed all day tomorrow." The dreamy tone to her voice was enough to convince V that he was actually dreaming. How else could someone so angelic be in his bed and love him so much.

"As you wish little lady." As soon as her breathing slowed down V took a look at her sleeping face and smiled. There was nothing he did to deserve such a beautiful sight but he treasured it all the same. She had caused him to change in ways he had never imagined and he was glad for it. He was still full of anxieties about all of this but seeing her peaceful expression was enough to wash them away. So just like every night he watched her until the peace consumed him and he fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [ v-dcc](https://v-dcc.tumblr.com/post/174223000256/okay-but-like-a-v-mc-where-v-is-a-tattoo-artist) art on tumblr


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